One of the great pleasures I have taken in joining the ranks of Tolkien scholarship is meeting and working collegially with such wonderful folks as Emily Austin, a scholar and visual artist.  Ms. Austin is in the middle of a project considering when Bilbo is called “Mr. Baggins” in the narrative, and I think she has caught on to something.

Ms. Austin, here are all the instances of “Mr. Baggins” (or the possessive form, or “Mister Baggins”) in the work. I think that with the help of the Hobbit Paragraph Index, your instinct is going to pay off.  Look to see who is calling him that – is it almost always Gandalf?  and not the narrator?

If you’d like the list of “Baggins” with or without “Mister”, or the list of “Bilbos”, I am, dear friend, at your service.

• 1.012 said our Mr. Baggins,
• 1.016 Mr. Bilbo Baggins.
• 1.017 that Mr. Baggins was not quite so prosy
• 1.043 Throng!’ thought Mr. Baggins.
• 1.050 but poor Mr. Baggins said he was sorry so many times,
• 1.058 thought Mr. Baggins,
• 1.083 and very quickly he was plain Mr. Baggins
• 1.090 Gandalf, dwarves and Mr. Baggins!
• 1.091 To the estimable Mr. Baggins,
• 1.096 Then Mr. Baggins turned the handle
• 1.099 and I chose Mr. Baggins.
• 1.100 I have chosen Mr. Baggins
• 2.004 “What message?” said poor Mr. Baggins
• 3.016 What brings Mister Baggins
• 4.042 and here’s Mr. Baggins: fourteen!
• 4.045 said poor Mr. Baggins bumping up
• 5.009 in Mr. Baggins’ place,
• 5.019 I am Mr. Bilbo Baggins.
• 6.006 leaving Mr. Baggins
• 6.018 Mr. Baggins,’
• 6.024 Mr. Baggins has more about him than you guess.’
• 6.05 near Mr. Baggins’ hole at home,
• 6.056 and give Mr. Baggins a hand up!’
• 7.022 Don’t be a fool Mr. Baggins if you can help it;
• 7.03 Come on Mr. Baggins!
• 7.039 That is Mr. Baggins,
• 7.079 that Mr. Baggins had been mislaid.
• 7.088 Mr. Baggins saw then how clever Gandalf had been.
• 7.121 and he poked Mr. Baggins’ waistcoat most disrespectfully.
• 7.136 Mr. Baggins’ eyes are sharper than yours,
• 7.142 and I am sending Mr. Baggins with you.
• 7.149 Mr. Baggins.
• 8.016 Mr. Baggins is talking about.’
• 8.041 Poor Mr. Baggins had never had much practice
• 8.062 I shall send Mr. Baggins alone first to talk to them.
• 8.076 made a great difference to Mr. Baggins.
• 8.104 but Mr. Baggins was
• 8.125 From which you can see that they had changed their opinion of Mr. Baggins very much,
• 8.127 Mr. Baggins?
• 9.011 Poor Mr. Baggins –
• 9.012 it would have to be done by Mr. Baggins,
• 9.015 until in fact the remarkable Mr. Invisible Baggins
• 9.036 said Mr. Baggins to himself.
• 9.061 In this way at last Mr. Baggins came to a place
• 10.004 It might have been some comfort to Mr. Baggins
• 10.016 and Mr. Baggins.
• 10.016 Mr. Baggins.
• 10.023 and Mr. Baggins who has travelled with us out of the West.’
• 10.040 though doubtless Mr. Baggins remained a bit of a mystery.
• 10.045 dwarves, Mr. Baggins,
• 11.013 Mr. Baggins had more than the others.
• 12.002 Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins,
• 12.026 Get inside Mr. Baggins12.036 Mr. Baggins?’
• 12.078 Mr. Baggins’ one idea was to get away.
• 12.092 Mr. Baggins!’
• 12.095 Mr. Baggins,
• 13.010 At length Mr. Baggins could bear it no longer.
• 13.017 Mr. Baggins was still officially their expert burglar
• 13.036 Mr. Baggins!’
• 13.039 All the same Mr. Baggins kept his head
• 16.014 Mr. Baggins,
• 16.022 I am Mr. Bilbo Baggins,’
• 16.043 Well done! Mr. Baggins!’
• 19.037 The return of Mr. Bilbo Baggins
• 19.037 before Mr. Baggins was
• 19.042 that Mr. Baggins’ waistcoat was more extensive
• 19.047 Mr. Baggins,