The Red Book of Westmarch
The framing manuscript behind The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
Red Book of Westmarch The Red Book Red Book Thain's Book
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The Red Book of Westmarch is the fictional manuscript Tolkien presents as the true source of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Begun as Bilbo Baggins's diary, it was continued by Frodo and completed by Samwise Gamgee. Annotated copies circulated in the Shire and in Gondor, and the red-leather original eventually passed to Sam's descendants in Westmarch, which gave it its name.
Time anchorfrom Third AgeOpen in the master timeline
Relations
- Source of
- The HobbitWithin Tolkien's translation conceit, The Hobbit is presented as an edition of Bilbo's portion of the Red Book.
- Source of
- The Lord of the RingsWithin the same conceit, The Lord of the Rings is presented as a rendering of Frodo's and Sam's portions of the Red Book.
Provenance
- Bilbo Baggins — Third Age 2941 – Third Age 3001 (Begun as Bilbo's private diary of his journey with Thorin's Company.)
- Frodo Baggins — Third Age 3001 – Third Age 3021 (Inherited from Bilbo at Bag End; continued and largely completed by Frodo.)
- Samwise Gamgee — from Third Age 3021 (Given to Sam by Frodo before Frodo's departure over the Sea; Sam added the final pages.)
Sources
- The Lord of the Rings — Prologue, Note on the Shire Records
- The Lord of the Rings — Appendix F, On Translation
Cite this page
Legendarium (2026): „The Red Book of Westmarch“. Last updated August 31, 2026. https://www.legendarium.page/objects/red-book-of-westmarch/
APA
Legendarium. (2026). The Red Book of Westmarch. Last updated August 31, 2026. https://www.legendarium.page/objects/red-book-of-westmarch/
MLA
„The Red Book of Westmarch“. Legendarium, 2026, https://www.legendarium.page/objects/red-book-of-westmarch/. Last updated August 31, 2026.
BibTeX
@misc{legendarium-red-book-of-westmarch-en,
title = {The Red Book of Westmarch},
author = {{Legendarium}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.legendarium.page/objects/red-book-of-westmarch/}},
note = {Last updated August 31, 2026}
}