Resurrecting some old questions

Read the opening pages of The Hobbit. Do Hobbits have beards?
Now read the prologue of The Lord of the Rings. Do Hobbits have beards?

How tall are Elves? How tall are Dwarves?
How easily could a Dwarf use a sword made for an elf?

How does the bow of Lorien compare to the bows of Mirkwood?
How easily could an Elf used to the bows of Mirkwood suddenly switch to using the bow of Lorien?

Read The Council of Elrond. How many steps does Orthanc have?
Now read Flotsam and Jetsam. How tall is Orthanc?
So, how high is each stair?

Bonus question 1: which other tower in fantasy fiction does this make you think of?
Bonus question 2: which is the flotsam in this chapter, and which is the jetsam?

Resurrecting the book extract meme

Instructions:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book on your desk! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.

My answer:
"A similar Porter Cake was made here in England, named after the dark smoky taverns and ale houses known as Porter Houses, where it was widely believed 'Porters' drank the dark ale."

The book is "Cakes, Regional and Traditional", by Julie Duff.