Atlas Of Middle-Earth: The Essential Guide to the Geography of the World of The Lord of the Rings
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Thursday, Apr 23
Format: Paperback, Illustrated
Description
The definitive, exquisitely detailed guide to the geography of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, by renowned cartographer Karen Wynn Fonstad.Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle-earth is an essential and official Tolkien companion that will enchant all fans. Here is the definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated ― nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised ― this guide to Tolkien's world illuminates the lore created in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings.Hundreds of two-color maps and diagrams, a true feat of Middle-earth cartography, survey the journeys of the principal characters day by day ― including all the battles and key locations of the First, Second, and Third Ages. Plans and descriptions of castles, buildings, and distinctive landforms are given, along with thematic maps describing the climate, vegetation, languages, and population distribution of Middle-earth throughout its history. An extensive appendix and an index help readers correlate the maps with Tolkien's novels. Read more
Publisher : William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication date : April 10, 1991
Edition : Subsequent
Language : English
Print length : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0618126996
ISBN-13 : 96
Item Weight : 1.1 pounds
Dimensions : 8 x 0.56 x 10.88 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #15,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2 in Science Fiction & Fantasy Literary Criticism (Books) #3 in Science Fiction History & Criticism #1,081 in Epic Fantasy (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
This book is incredible and a must-have for anyone that is into maps and Tolkein, or someone that is just into Tolkein and could use a reference point. The only reason that I did not give 5 stars is that the keys for the maps are not always reflective of what is drawn on the map. For example, thin vs thick black arrows in the keys are not distinguishable in the maps; key shows hollow arrow when the map shows solid arrows, etc). Aside from that, this book is pretty tight. A good buy.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 15, 2023 by Brandon S.
I bought this to read alongside the LOTR and it has been such a great experience. Gives lots of background information and helps me orient myself in middle earth as I read along the journey! Highly recommend to anyone who is reading Tolkien.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 23, 2023 by Silvia
A few previous reviewers have attempted to sully this product with claims of inaccuracy; one in particular (Mr. Martinez) has stayed on this item's main page for years and is considered helpful by 85% of responders. He rants in two separate reviews and with multiple paragraphs that Fonstad didn't do her homework and that this is overall a "bad" piece of work. Despite these claims staying largely unsubstantiated even after Mr. Martinez's second review (he names a few of these errors in both reviews, but claims there are too many errors to tabulate), many other reviewers have referenced Mr. Martinez's review as if it is authoritative; that, along with the fact that many hundreds of others have clicked the little button that says Mr. Martinez's comments have been helpful to them (indicating perhaps that they have not purchased this book thanks to Mr. Martinez) is what urges me to write this review. Since I am not a cartographer nor a Tolkien expert I cannot comment on the veracity of Mr. Martinez's claims; his overall picture, however, is so negative that once I had this item (the only one like it on the market currently) I spent some time comparing the book to the Lord of the Rings itself, and used it as a guide on my first complete read-through of The Hobbit since I was a child. I have walked away totally satisfied by Fonstad's book, with only a few minor criticisms. As a Tolkien fan who is working his way through a casual Tolkien survey, I can say that Mr. Martinez's vitriolic critique is totally wrong-headed. His error lies in his presuppositions: 1) that Middle-Earth is a complete and real thing, not something created by a man; he therefore assumes that Middle-Earth is always consistent and requires no interpretive work as regards its geography, and 2) that the only audience for this book is scholarly, and therefore scholarly exactitude is required in marking its worth. On the first point, Mr. Martinez assumes that there is a "right answer" to the geography of Middle-Earth, and that clearly Fonstad has not got it. Fonstad is sweeping in her scope and level of detail, but she is upfront about her assumptions and guesses, never presenting herself as anyone more than a skilled cartographer trying to make as much sense of this varied world as possible. The amount of time Tolkien spent creating his universe, from the early 1900s to his death, should indicate that HIS errors were unavoidable without major revision. See also The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion for details on Tolkien's mistakes (geographical and otherwise), which do not destroy his work, but nonetheless do exist. Fonstad's book is in many ways putting pieces together that weren't made to fit, and for this it should not be considered authoritative unless considering the absence of any competing atlases. Certainly someone should make a competing Atlas, but considering the contradictions inherent in Tolkien's works, it would be no more "correct" on many points than Fonstad's (though I'm sure many errors could be removed). It is in this sense that any atlas of Middle-Earth (as any illustration of Middle-Earth) should be considered "interpretive." As for the second point, Mr. Martinez rates the product as 2 out of 5 stars and says "Tolkien readers need a new cartographical reference. Hopefully, one will come along some day that doesn't look this bad." Here Mr. Martinez is specifically speaking about Tolkien readers, not scholars; he writes his review as if the average or even enthusiastic Tolkien reader could not garner any joy from this book. Fonstad doubtless has made mistakes, especially considering that she published her revision prior to Christopher Tolkien releasing the entire "History of Middle-Earth" series. I noticed one or two general mistakes myself, though nothing that has destroyed my confidence in the general quality of her book; I must again reiterate that Fonstad consistently states where she draws her conclusions from, and therefore the reader is encouraged to test her words against Tolkien's text. Mr. Martinez's time would be better spent listing and compiling these mistakes rather than dissuading readers from consulting the only available Middle-Earth atlas. Fonstad's book really is a work of criticism, pointing out the grandeur, the consistency, and occasionally the mistakes in Tolkien's work. When shining a light on The Hobbit, Fonstad's book shows us how truly inadequate its geography and timeline is when compared to the Lord of the Rings, where Tolkien was much more consistent. It is immeasurable how valuable Fonstad's book has been for readers like me. This is without mentioning that the scholars Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull reference her work three times in their authoritative The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion . The best "negative" review on Amazon about this work is by Wade West "Glorfindel" who offers a highly critical four-star review that is qualified by his endorsement to purchase the book. To say it clearly: if you need a LotR map or want help visualizing Tolkien's world, get this book. Like everything else written on Tolkien, it is a start, not an end.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 30, 2009 by Evan T. Burchfield
This book is amazing, adds another facet to reading an old classic. The maps are well drawn and add a ton of value. I love it, and if I had to buy it again, I would.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 16, 2023 by Well That’s Swell
If you're like me you've spent hours pouring over the very limited maps that are included in the original LOTR series trying to get a better idea of what Middle Earth looks like and have wished for an atlas. A few years ago I attempted to get through "The Children of Hurin" (very difficult) and "The Fall of Gondolin" (almost unreadable). My notes for each were "One finger in the Glossary at all times!" The only way I could get through these stories was with the glossary and a Tolkien dictionary which was in constant use and I really wish I had this atlas at the time. This atlas is FANTASTIC and is exactly what you want as companion especially when going through the 1st, 2nd ages which can be convoluted. The maps are easy to read and plentiful. While there is not a lot of color in the drawings there is enough to distinguish the differences in terrain without being distracting. This atlas was clearly designed for the avid reader and is meant as a reference to be used often and not a pretty coffee table book that's rarely opened. Case in point is the rather flimsy non glossy cover on the paperback edition which gives it a feel like a college text book companion. For about $15 it's an absolute steal! If your looking for a coffee table book, buy the hard cover edition. A few of the other reviewers talked about the font size and the the middle of some of the maps being in between pages. My eyes aren't what they used to be and I had no problem with the font size. There are a few maps that have important info in the crease which is annoying but definitely not a deal breaker. All in all I'm extremely pleased with this atlas and now feel confident in taking on the Silmarillion which I've been putting off for years!
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 7, 2022 by A. Chase
I love this atlas. I reread Lord of the Rings last year, followed by The Silmarillion, and kept this near while I read. I especially loved that it includes a map showing the journey of the hobbits and the Nine to destroy the ring. Super helpful and an amazing achievement by the author.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 1, 2023 by kazbo
This atlas is a wonderful companion to the works of Tolkein. At last I understand what is where in Middle Earth. Some of the details, like the map of Hobbiton, are great fun to study. I took off one star only because of the binding. I bought the paperback version. The binding is so tight that parts of the maps near the spine are not visible. Recommended for all Tolkein fans.
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 17, 2023 by A. Dobe