Wouldn't it be nice if all the energy that has gone into posts on this thread were invested in actual Tolkien discussions?! To say nothing of the sleuthing effort involved in figuring out the source of anonymous reps...
I cordially invite all of you to join in the Chapter-by-Chapter discussions of
The Hobbit, now in progress!
__________________
'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth..
.'