[Dain]

Of course, you have to remember that only a few people in the shire held a good opinion of Bilbo after he came back. Adventuring wasn't something for a hobbit to be proud of. Of course, it excited the young hobbits who would later have an even greater adventure than he did. I don't think he would have been up to the quest of the ring, even when he was younger. I don't think "over-rated" is the right term at all, though.

Bilbo was a sort of anti-hero hero, because the things which made him succeed were simple things. He always got in trouble when he tried to push himself beyond his limits (pickpocketing trolls, teasing smaug, etc.). Tolkien was pointing out that among all the elves, dwarves, wizards, etc, a small, sensible hobbit had underrated qualities that they didn't.

Those of you who haven't should really read the Hobbit all the way through. I still like it just as much as LotR, you just have to realize it's a different type of book. Sooooo much fun. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]