Also called the Red Book of Westmarch. It was a large red book with leather covers.

Originally, it was Bilbo Baggins's diary, but over the years was greatly expanded and added to. When he left the Shire in 3001 of the Third Age, he took it with him to Rivendell.

In Rivendell he added the 'Translations from the Elvish', which is now called The Silmarillion. Bilbo handed it down to Frodo, who in turn passed it on to Samwise Gamgee.

The title page had many titles put on it over the years, and when it was given to Sam, it had 80 chapters.

All in all, there were 5 red leather books, all volumes of the Red Book. Three were given to Frodo by Bilbo as a parting gift, one was the book that started out as Bilbo's diary, and the fifth was added to house all the genealogies and commentaries. Sections of these books make up the books that are published today under the names 'The Hobbit', 'The Lord of the Rings', and 'The Silmarillion'.

Copies were made of it, the first being the Thain's book, brought to the King of Gondor by Thain Peregrin in 64 of the Fourth Age. Another copy was made in 172 of the Fourth Age by Findegil in Gondor. This was brought back to the Shire and kept in the Great Smials.