Bilbo Baggins is the title character and protagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel "The Hobbit", a supporting character in "The Lord of the Rings", and the fictional narrator of all Tolkien's Middle-earth writings. The Hobbit is selected by the wizard Gandalf to help Thorin and his party of Dwarves to reclaim their ancestral home and treasure, which has been taken over by the dragon Smaug. Bilbo sets out in "The Hobbit" timid and comfort-loving, and through his adventures grows to become a useful and resourceful member of the quest.