“Out of the frying-pan into the fire.” “The gathering of the clouds.” “The last stage.”

Headlines describing the impending fiscal cliff? No. Actually, these phrases serve as chapter titles for J.R.R. Tolkien’s best-selling novel “The Hobbit.” Translated into more than 50 languages with 100 million copies sold and a new film trilogy by Peter Jackson, many more fans will no doubt come to know and love this classic.