The Atlas of Middle-earth
Find your way through every part of Tolkien's great creation from Middle-Earth to the undying lands of the west. Completely revised, Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle-Earth is an indispensable volume that will enchant all Tolkien fans. Here is the essential guide to the geography of Middle-Earth from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, re-creating the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated -- nearly one third of the maps are new with a fully revised text -- it illuminates the enchanted world created in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Hundreds of two-color maps and diagrams survey the journeys day by day -- battles, castles, forests, far lands, distinctive landforms, climate, vegetation, and population. - Back cover.
Stats for nerds
4recommend
8mentions
8people
2020–2026years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Very nice. I have a book of maps for his world on a bookshelf here which I got when I was young (The Atlas of Middle-Earth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atlas_of_Middle-earth). I enjoyed reading that a lot, and it was nice to see that most parts of it are well thought through and internally consistent (there's one piece near Rivendell which is a bit of a mess between the Hobbit and LotR but we can let Tolkien have one minor issue).
- > I have a book of maps for his world on a bookshelf here which I got when I was young (The Atlas of Middle-Earth)
This atlas is fantastic. An absolute must-have.
There is a new edition in French with redrawn maps that are great. I did not triple-check everything but as far as I can see they are just like the old maps in terms of details and accuracy, only much more beautiful. There are some pictures here: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/03b6ZK .
I have no idea if these maps will be published in English, AFAICT this cas commissioned specifically for the new French edition.
- Atlas of Middle-earth is a truly monumental feat.
I think the article writer misses how much of it is really about The Silmarillion, rather than about Lord of the Rings. Tolkien put a lot of work into First Age geography, an entire (interminable, excruciating) chapter of The Silmarillion. Very little of it would be familiar to viewers of the films, and a lot of it opaque even to readers just of LotR.
- I highly recommend the Atlas of Middle-Earth.
- Do I love maps because of the fantasy books I read as a kid? Did I love (and still love) the fantasy books because I love maps? I may never know.
I've heard of the Atlas of Middle Earth but never knew this amazing story behind it. Thanks for posting it, bookofjoe!
Also, really cool to know she did D&D maps too. Maps are just rad
- I'm a huge fan of Tolkien, and I had never heard of her. How bizarre. I wonder if she is mostly well known in America or whether I simply managed to miss her work. I am very tempted to get "The Atlas of Middle-earth" now though.
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