The Red Book of Westmarch
Contains: There and Back Again and The Downfall of Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King
Written: Crafted by Bilbo Baggins, later expanded upon by Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee with others
Medium: Manuscript, Ink on Parchment
Time Period: Late 3rd Age to 4th Age
Location of Creation: Hobbiton, The Shire, and Rivendell
Status of object: Donation of the Fairbairn Family
The Red Book of Westmarch, originally written as a journal by Bilbo Baggins in 3019 to document his adventures to the Lonely Mountain with the Dwarf King Throrin titled There and Back Again. Later continued by his heir and nephew Frodo Baggins at the end of the 3rd Age on the War of the Ring titled The Downfall of Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King. The text details the two journeys with background information about Hobbits accompanied by excerpts from Samwise Gamgee on the state of the Shire and the beginning of the 4th Age. The text serves as a memorium to the heroes of the Shire and an inspiration to those looking for adventure.
Replica crafted by Anna Chester, Acrylic on Leather, painting influenced by descriptions in The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
The Red Book of Westmarch is a collection of tales and chronicles gathered by Hobbits of the Shire. The book’s name comes from the red leather cover, which was specially made by Rivendell craftsmen to preserve the pages within. The two featured narratives are the cumulative memoirs of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins during the late Third Age to the Fourth Age of Middle Earth. Bilbo recorded his journey with the the Dwarven company of Thorin Oakenshield to take back their homeland of Erebor, and Frodo’s recollection of the good peoples of Middle Earth gathering to defeat the evil Sauron in the War of the Ring. Shaped by the adventures of its authors and passed down through generations of Hobbit families, the Red Book of Westmarch serves as a testament to Hobbit’s strength, resilience, and community, holding profound cultural significance.
As Bilbo Baggins’s journey led him east with the Dwarven company of King Thorin, he began a journal upon his return to Bag End. Bilbo filled this journal with important and mundane actions, day-to-day travels, and interactions that were both amicable and not. His adventure with the Dwarves is a tale of courage, stepping out of comfort zones, taking action toward the greater good, and being a part of a team. Years he spent writing his novel which he finished during his retirement in Rivendell after his vanishing in the Shire at the start of the War of the Ring. His diary now turned novel was added to by his heir Frodo, after the results of the War of the Ring and Frodo’s heroic quest as Ringbearer. The passing of the novel marked a respect and pride carried by Bilbo for his nephew, and by Frodo to his best friend Samwise Gamgee to whom he left it in the care of. The text details the two journeys accompanied by excerpts from Samwise Gamgee on the state of the Shire and the 4th Age, Merry Brandybuck on the Kingdom of Rohan, and Peregrine Took on the Kingdom of Gondor. Frodo leaves Middle Earth and the novel in Samwise’s care in a tribute to love, trust and legacy. The novel passed to Samwise’s eldest child Elanor Fairbairn and her descendants to be admired for generations to come.
The novel marks the tale of the extraordinary done by the ordinary folk of the Shire. Through its pages, we learn not only of the dark deeds of the Enemy but also of the heroism that shone brightly even in the darkest of days. Bilbo is a seemingly ‘normal’ Hobbit who was challenged to leave by outsiders and held his own through trials of strength, wit, and goodness. Frodo later continues extraordinary actions by agreeing to be Ringbearer to take the One Ring to Mordor for its destruction. The novel holds memories and respect for allies and comrades of the Fellowship of the Ring who previously in the Shire were othered and estranged over difference. It serves as a cultural memoir of the Kingdoms of Arnor, Rohan and Gondor, and the ancient race of Elves who left Middle Earth with Frodo at the beginning of the Fourth Age. Frodo’s trials of peril and hopelessness demonstrate the Hobbit’s resilience in the face of doom. Though the Red Book is chiefly a record of war, it also speaks of hope, friendship, and the quiet courage of ordinary folk—hobbits, elves, dwarves, men, and others—who rose to greatness in times of great peril.
The Red Book of Westmarch is a collection of tales and chronicles which revolve around two featured narratives that are the cumulative memoirs of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins during Bilbo’s quest for Erebor and Frodo’s act as ringbearer in the War of the Ring. The novel passed from the creator Bilbo, to Frodo and later Samwise Gamgee and his descendents in a tribute to love, trust and legacy. The novel marks the tales of the extraordinary and speaks of hope, friendship, and the quiet courage of ordinary folk of the Shire and Allies who brought forth the peaceful Fourth Age.