The Adventures of Tom Bombadil actual translation from the "Red Book of Westmarch", and contains some background information on the world of Middle-earth that is not found elsewhere: e.g. the name of the tower at Dol Amroth and the names of the Seven Rivers of Gondor. There is also some fictional background information of those poems, linking them to Hobbit folklore and literature and to their actual writers (some of them are ascribed to Samwise Gamgee). The book uses the letter "K" instead of "C" for the /k/ sound in Sindarin (one of the languages invented by Tolkien), a spelling variant Tolkien used many times
Frodo Baggins cousin to Meriadoc's father, Saradoc Brandybuck. Their common ancestors are Gorbadoc Brandybuck and Mirabella Took Brandybuck. Frodo is moreover second (through her paternal grandfather Hildigrim Took) and third (through her paternal grandmother Rosa Baggins) cousin to Meriadoc's mother, Esmeralda Took. Frodo is also related to Peregrin Took, being his second and third cousin once removed (Peregrin's father, Paladin Took is, like his sister Esmeralda, second and third cousin to Frodo, as explained above). Even Fredegar Bolger (through his mother Rosamund Took) is second cousin once removed to Frodo. Frodo also shares a close relationship with his gardener Samwise Gamgee although