What were the changes made to "The Hobbit" after "The Lord of
the Rings" was written, and what motivated them? From: The
Tolkien FAQ by William D.B. Loos [This question refers to the
major revisions made to the Gollum chapter, "Riddles in the
Dark", not to the multitude of minor changes made elsewhere.] In
the original 1937 edition of "The Hobbit" Gollum was genuinely
willing to bet his ring on the riddle game, the deal being that
Bilbo would receive a "present" if he won. Gollum in fact was
dismayed when he couldn't keep his promise because the ring was
missing. He showed Bilbo the way out as an alternative, and they
parted courteously. As the writing of LotR progressed the nature
of the Ring changed. No longer a "convenient magical device", it
had become an irresistable power object, and Gollum's behavior
now seemed inexplicable, indeed, impossible. In the rough drafts
of the "Shadow of the Past" chapter Gandalf was made to perform
much squirming in an attempt to make it appear credible, not
wholly successf