Bilbo´s treachery

[Galin]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

Once that was clear, the original version of TH Chapter 5, where Gollum was willing to give Bilbo the Ring, became, of course, untenable, because the Prof's conception of Gollum's character had changed and he realized that Gollum could never have given up his precious. So the original Ch. 5 was explained as being a cover-up by Bilbo. Only in the 1966 edition of TH, IIRC, was that chapter told as it was now, after the change, conceived to have really happened, with Gollum planning to murder Bilbo and "Thief! Baggins! We hates it forever!"

As I think I understand things, Tolkien drafted the revisions in 1944 and sent them to Allen and Unwin in 1947, and after a bit of a misunderstanding with the publishers, the revisions appeared in the Second Edition of 1951.

Of course later on the Ace Books controversy called for more tinkering in general, but I believe the new version of chapter five was already in place, again at least generally speaking.

[Pitchwife]

You're right as usual, Galin. Thanks for the correction!