J.R.R. Tolkien identifies Bilbo Baggins as the in-story author of The Hobbit.
Bilbo is presented as a hobbit of Hobbiton who inherits both Tookish adventurousness and Baggins respectability. After joining Thorin Oakenshield’s company, he records the journey, including the encounter with Gollum and the discovery of the Ring. This framing makes the novel feel like a memoir or translated account rather than a detached modern narrative.
In The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo continues writing about his adventures and begins a historical work known as There and Back Again, with the subtitle A Hobbit’s Holiday. Frodo later contributes to the Red Book of Westmarch, the fictional manuscript tradition through which Tolkien presents much of the legend.
Bilbo and Frodo are both associated with the Red Book, which can cause confusion. Bilbo is the principal narrator and credited author of the earlier adventure, while Frodo records much of the later Ring story and Samwise completes or preserves parts of the account.