The Red Book Of Westmarch

Ok, now we're getting somewhere, thank you it's really helping me.

So the red book is the diary+frodo's writings+sam's writings??

And the 3 volumes are just a different part of the red book? Because he did "Annex" it on.

And the diary does not = the 3 volumes?

[Boromir88]

Wooo, we finally figured it out. Good job snowbird and firefoot. However, now my brain is fried mush and I'm just going to lay down and pass out.

So we did!

As a recap: 1st volume = the writings from bilbo's diary, frodos writings and sam's writings.

2nd, 3rd, 4th volumes = other parts of history concerning hobbits ect.

5th volume = commentaries, genealogies and various other matters concering the hobbit members of the fellowship.

This right?

Ah, my brain is mush too!

P.S. What are "The Grey Havens."?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

I think the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th volumes were Frodo accounts of the War of the Ring:

Frodo brought [Bilbo's diary] back to the Shire, together with many loose leaves of notes, and during S.R. 1420-I he nearly filled its pages with his account of the War.

The Fellowship, Two Towers, and Return of the King, perhaps?

Oh, and Grey Havens (or Mithlond) is the haven from where Elrond, Galadriel, Gandalf, Bilbo and Frodo set sail.

Or perhaps you refer to the last chapter of Return of the King.

Hope that helps!

[Boromir88]

If you happen to have a Middle-earth map handy it's down by the Gulf of Lhun.

Nilpaurion Felagund that doesn't really work because we know for a fact what 4 of the volumes are. 3 bilbo gave him which must be sepret accounts of the war and varioius other parts of the history of middle earth. 1 volume is filled with commentaries, genealogies and various other matters.

So were left with one vlume so it's gotta be Bilbo's diary, Frodo's account, and what sam's wrote.

Does that sound right to you?

[Boromir88]

It sounds right but my brain is getting even more mushed. Here, wonder if this will help.

Frodo brought [Bilbo's diary] back to the Shire, together with many loose leaves of notes, and during S.R. 1420-I he nearly filled its pages with his account of the War.

So that talks about Bilbo's diary, and Frodo added his tale in it. Then...

But annexed to it (the diary) and preserved with it (the diary), probably in a single red case, were the three large volumes bound in red leather, that Bilbo gave to him as a parting gift.

The parting gift is Bilbo's three volumes, by saying "annexed" I would assum he took the diary (a combination of Bilbo's, Frodo's, and Sam's tales) and combined it with three volumes which Frodo didn't write anything at all in, left it alone.

This part contradicts my earlier post, but now I see how it works. Bilbo's "section" of the diary is his tale There and Back again/The Hobbit
Snowbird, wow you were right this is a tad confusing, but just a tad .