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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design Hardcover – December 13, 2013

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 297 ratings

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design explores and celebrates the creative vision of the second film in Academy Award–winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's trilogy adaptation of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.

This lavish volume follows Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin's Company of Dwarves eastward, through hitherto unseen regions of Middle-earth, on their quest to reclaim the lost realm of Erebor from the Dragon Smaug. Exploring the design and development of the environments, cultures, creatures, and artifacts encountered by the characters, it is filled with more than one thousand stunning images of conceptual art, supplementary photographs, and detailed commentary provided by the film's cast and crew.

As a bonus feature, unique to this book, there is a special fold-out replica of the portrait of the Master of Lake-town, played by Stephen Fry, exactly as it appears in the film.

Compiled by Weta Workshop senior concept designer Daniel Falconer, this is the third book in The Hobbit: Chronicles series, and it has been created in full collaboration with key members of the production's creative team to ensure the most comprehensive and authentic film companion possible.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Art & Design explores and celebrates the creative vision of the second film in Academy Award–winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's trilogy adaptation of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien.

This lavish volume follows Bilbo, Gandalf, and Thorin's Company of Dwarves eastward, through hitherto unseen regions of Middle-earth, on their quest to reclaim the lost realm of Erebor from the Dragon Smaug. Exploring the design and development of the environments, cultures, creatures, and artifacts encountered by the characters, it is filled with more than one thousand stunning images of conceptual art, supplementary photographs, and detailed commentary provided by the film's cast and crew.

As a bonus feature, unique to this book, there is a special fold-out replica of the portrait of the Master of Lake-town, played by Stephen Fry, exactly as it appears in the film.

Compiled by Weta Workshop senior concept designer Daniel Falconer, this is the third book in The Hobbit: Chronicles series, and it has been created in full collaboration with key members of the production's creative team to ensure the most comprehensive and authentic film companion possible.

About the Author

Weta Workshop is a multi-award winning conceptual design and physical manufacturing facility based out of Wellington, New Zealand, servicing the world's entertainment and wider creative industries. Weta Workshop is also a multi-disciplinary facility, with crew members expert in a diverse range of disciplines all housed under the one roof. These services include conceptual design and the manufacturing of weapons, armor and chainmail, specialist props, custom vehicles, specialty costumes, miniatures and models, special makeup and prosthetics, and public art installations or displays. The team at Weta enjoys engaging in projects holistically, from preliminary technical analysis and conceptual design through to manufacture across all departments and the final delivery of product and crew to set, anywhere in the world. Drawing on more than twenty years of filmmaking experience, five-time Oscar-winning design and special effects supervisor Richard Taylor is intimately involved in all projects from concept through to delivery. Best known for the company's design and effects work on award-winning film projects, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar, District 9, and The Adventures of Tintin, Weta Workshop is not limited to film and television, offering services to creative industries worldwide

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; 11/13/13 edition (December 13, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062265695
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062265692
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.5 x 0.75 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 297 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
297 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the wonderful artwork and creative artists' illustrations. They find the book enjoyable and a great companion for fans of The Hobbit. Readers appreciate the interesting concepts and information about character design, set design, prop design, and behind-the-scenes photos. Many consider it worth the money and better than the extras on the DVDs. The book provides detailed text and photos that enhance their enjoyment.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

60 customers mention "Art quality"60 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the artwork in the book. They find it creative and well-done, with hand-drawn and digital paintings mixed with 3D renderings and photos of miniatures. The book includes designs, set design, prop design, commentary from the artists, and background details. It's described as a beautiful hardcover book that complements and augments the movie.

"...It's predominantly hand drawn plus digital painting art with some 3D renders, and a few photos of miniature props. The art is fantastic...." Read more

"...It's everything I could have hoped for, full of sketches and full-color pictures, and a lot of commentary by the artists...." Read more

"...Weta continue to create persistently efficient books with wonderful artwork and behind the scenes photos of how they made the desolation of smaug...." Read more

"...Lots of paintings, pencils, design and discussion...." Read more

34 customers mention "Book enjoyment"34 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They say it's well-executed and better than the previous Unexpected Journey Chronicles. Readers appreciate the masterful craftsmanship and the wonderful artwork.

"...Weta continue to create persistently efficient books with wonderful artwork and behind the scenes photos of how they made the desolation of smaug...." Read more

"...These people are truly masters of their craft. These books are a great companion for the behind the scenes extras on the DVDs...." Read more

"...Overall it's a good book, gorgeously wrapped in red scales with many 'precious' treasures therein, but severely lacking where it truly counted: 'A..." Read more

"...and it does not disappoint...." Read more

25 customers mention "Information quality"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They appreciate the solid layouts, illuminating information about concepts, process, and visuals. The books provide fun facts and beautiful pictures. Readers also enjoy the behind-the-scenes information, new information on the elves, and commentary from those involved in the production.

"...It's very insightful as there are inputs from lots of the artists that work behind the scenes...." Read more

"...for, full of sketches and full-color pictures, and a lot of commentary by the artists...." Read more

"...Lots of paintings, pencils, design and discussion...." Read more

"...I loved all the new information on the elves, particularly Thranduil and Tauriel and the elves’ home, Mirkwood...." Read more

24 customers mention "Book companion"24 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book companion. They find it a useful addition for fans and collectors of Tolkien's works. The inside is great, with artworks and interesting content. Many describe it as a suitable coffee table book and a valuable addition to their library.

"...of THE HOBBIT visually, and this book is absolutely a wonderful companion for fans to peruse. Well done. I'm a happy camper." Read more

"Highest quality, beautiful art, nicely bound, this book is a great companion to the first one from "An Unexpected Journey." Over the years..." Read more

"...These people are truly masters of their craft. These books are a great companion for the behind the scenes extras on the DVDs...." Read more

"...I loved reading the commentary of what inspired the various location props, costumes, and architecture...." Read more

9 customers mention "Character design"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character design, set design, and prop design in the book. They find the sketches and quotes from actors interesting. The book provides many pages dedicated to characters and locations, with details on costumes and weapons. It's great for cosplay enthusiasts to get more details on costumes.

"...in this particular book are the environment, props, character and creature designs...." Read more

"...This book features the character sketches, production design and concept art of "The Desolation of Smaug"...." Read more

"...Wonderful illustrations, conceptual art, photographs and commentary from the cast and members of Weta...." Read more

"...I certainly hope so. Smaug is such a character, so iconic and so arrogant, voiced beautifully by Benedict Cumberbatch...." Read more

7 customers mention "Value for money"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers good value for money. They say it's worth the money and better than the extras on DVDs.

"...Very good. This artbook is really worth the money. Highly recommended to fans of the film and concept art...." Read more

"...They're almost better than the extras on the DVDs...." Read more

"...The quality of the artwork alone is worth the purchase. A must for any fan." Read more

"...The book would be a suitable coffeetable book and was worth every penny." Read more

6 customers mention "Depth"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's depth and detail. They find the photos and text engaging. The book is 208 pages long, and it's pleasant to slow down and enjoy a text that you can feel and see.

"...This artbook is still hardcover, 208 pages, and is as detailed and packed as the earlier Hobbit Chronicles books...." Read more

"...Their work has so much depth and detail that, as the viewer watches this latest episode, he can see and recognize the architecture and style of the..." Read more

"...give it to me now world, it is truly pleasant to slow down and enjoy a text that you can feel, see, and cherish over time...." Read more

"...Beautiful photos and detailed text add to your enjoyment and appreciation for all of the craftsmanship and talent that went into bringing Middle..." Read more

Great package perfect.
5 out of 5 stars
Great package perfect.
The book is well done love drawings and sketches. Have third book on the way. My thanks to to Steve mitchell who recommend the hobbit books . I really like the movies and artist who work on the movies well done.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
    The media could not be loaded.
    Wow. Wow. Wow. That's one "Wow" for each of the Hobbit artbooks that were published so far.

    This artbook is still hardcover, 208 pages, and is as detailed and packed as the earlier Hobbit Chronicles books.

    Featured in this particular book are the environment, props, character and creature designs. It's predominantly hand drawn plus digital painting art with some 3D renders, and a few photos of miniature props. The art is fantastic.

    Covered, of course, are the locations as they appear in the film, such as Mirkwood, the Elven kingdom, Lake-town and the others. The designs are wonderful and really set the tone for the movies.

    Character art are for the new characters, such as Beorn, Evangeline Lilly's Tauriel, Legolas, the many orcs, creatures like the spiders and other miscellaneous characters of which there are a lot. Strangely, there are only a few pages of art for Smaug the dragon.

    You'll see quite of a lot of pencil sketched concept art from Alan Lee and John Howe, who are both concept art directors for the film. The other contributing artists are also quite amazing as to the quality of work they are putting out. It's nice to see a good mix of pencil and coloured artworks.

    This is mostly a showcase of the concept artworks of Weta Workshop and 3 Foot 7 Art Department. The environment and character designs are from Weta, while the sets, props and dressings are from 3 Foot 7.

    The writeup is also very extensive. Usually for each subject, be it character or location, there will be a few designers giving their own views and elaboration on the designs. It's very insightful as there are inputs from lots of the artists that work behind the scenes.

    By the way, there's going to be another artbook for this film coming out later called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Chronicles: Cloaks & Daggers. Very good.

    This artbook is really worth the money. Highly recommended to fans of the film and concept art. There's plenty to see and read.

    (There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
    69 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2023
    For starters, and just so you know: yes, Smaug is only lightly touched on, but that's because he gets his very own book, called "SMAUG: Unleashing the Dragon," also from Daniel Falconer.

    As for this volume... wow! It's everything I could have hoped for, full of sketches and full-color pictures, and a lot of commentary by the artists. I particularly enjoyed the extensive coverage of Beorn, who was seriously underutilized in the film, but whose set and person were so interesting in the original book. He gets his just due here.

    The book is large and heavy; definitely coffee-table material. Still, it's not bookshelf dressing; it's something you'll want to read again and again, so leaving it out is the best thing for it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2013
    This latest addition to the acclaimed hobbit chronicles book series is great as usual. Weta continue to create persistently efficient books with wonderful artwork and behind the scenes photos of how they made the desolation of smaug. With this one you still have alot of alan lee and john howe's wonderful sketches of the early stages of each part of the movie. I think its really cool that they also show the mini models the art department makes, for what will eventually be full size movie sets. Beorn's house, mirkwood, laketown, erebor, and many other environments are presented in this. Although towards the end of the book, the dragon smaug himself isn't really presented too much. Which i think they did on purpose, due to the "dragon unleashed" book that's coming in 2014 (which will feature NOTHING but smaug designs). Daniel Falconer is one of the best in the business as far as organizing these thousands of pieces of concept art into one volume. He says himself in the introduction that it takes hundreds of people to bring middle-earth to fruition. And its kind of sad that all of the art can never all be seen. Just because of the sheer volume of it of course. Anyway, regardless of what's missing, which isn't much in my opinion, this is yet another home run for the weta team and harper collins books. I will continue to buy this series and when i have them all, i can look at them as one lushious and full title that i can show my children, who will hopefully be tolkien fans as well :)!!!!!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2013
    Knowing that a fourth book in the Chronicles will arrive eventually (entitled THE HOBBIT CHRONICLES: CLOAKS AND DAGGERS - and if I were waging a guess, I'd think that fourth volume would be THE HOBBIT trilogy's look at armor and weapons for the new films), you would wonder if this volume would have a lot in it. I'd dare say it had more than we deserve? What a chunk of material is contained within these covers. I was flipping pages happily. There's been an improvement in movie-making companion that cater to scifi and fantasy fans, but this Middle-Earth related series has a long history of delivering the material goods. Lots of paintings, pencils, design and discussion. The exclusions are so very minor in comparison - I did seek out the Necromancer to see how much conceptual work we get in this volume, and found not so much on him, but honestly, you won't notice really - and he's due to get more coverage in the third film, I'd hazard. I felt that the film broadened the tale of THE HOBBIT visually, and this book is absolutely a wonderful companion for fans to peruse. Well done. I'm a happy camper.
    5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Sergio Paredes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantástico libro de arte
    Reviewed in Spain on July 28, 2023
    Fantástico libro sobre el arte y diseño de la segunda película de la trilogía del Hobbit. Es un libro con gran cantidad de ilustraciones y concept art para esta segunda parte. No es un making off, con imágenes, eso es el segundo y cuarto libro. Lo único que hay que tener en cuenta es que no hay muchos dibujos, ni diseños de Smaug, eso está en otro libro aparte, dedicado únicamente a Smaug.
  • Delannoy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Splendide
    Reviewed in France on August 30, 2022
    Livre aussi magnifiques que les autres de la collection. Pour tout les fans du Hobbit et des Artbook, ou si vous vous intéressez au designs conceptuels des films, le livre est rempli d'illustrations magnifiques et d'explications très complète sur les designs du film. A avoir dans sa bibliothèque.
    Je recommande !!
  • JF Atkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase
    Reviewed in Canada on June 25, 2019
    Love this book. Probably my favourite. Very easy interaction with seller. Good purchase. I recommend.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bellissimo!
    Reviewed in Italy on January 20, 2020
    Bellissimo. Arrivato in perfette condizioni. Disegni curatissimi. Perfetto per gli amanti della saga, ma anche come idea regalo per chi magari ha già gli altri 2 artbook.
  • Amazon カスタマー
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazon カスタマー
    Reviewed in Japan on November 7, 2016
    ファンにとってたまらない設定集。WETAがてがけたホビットの設定の変遷がてにとるようにわかる。装丁もとっても豪華で美しい一冊です。