[Saurreg]

Great information Davem. I thank you for your diligence.

So the conceit is that the LoTR was a direct translation of a copy of the original red book - one that has been abridged, amended, edited and updated through the edges. No?

In this case, would the copy not deviate more from the original works in terms of sensation and theme, ending up being more impersonal than before? If that is the case the close, direct third-person narration of the book would unfortunately cancel out the intended effect of the conceit even more.