The Atlas of Middle-Earth

The Lord of the Rings (LotR) is an incredibly complex story spanning hundreds of people (elves, men, dwarves, hobbits, orcs, etc) and thousands of miles. The geography is immense and it can be a little difficult to keep track of all the places and structures (unless you take notes as you read). The maps presented as part of the appendix is good, but not enough.The Atlas of Middle-earth is a superb companion not only to The Lord of the Rings, but to The Silmarillion, and to anyone interested in Tolkien. The book is ideally divided into ages (there are 3 ages described), with short descriptions of the significant happenings. The major battles of LotR are presented here, with maps that show major movements of all sides, plus tables that show how many troops were involved. It adds to the richness of LotR by giving the reader a good and firm perspective of the land the people live in, how they lived, and the battles fought. For LotR, you will be able to visulaize the movements of the Fellowship and realize how perfectly each of the separate movements (of the Companions) came together at the end--like an elegant chess movement.

The Atlas of Middle-Earth is an excellent work of geographic reasoning in the great tradition of Eratostenes. The attention to detail, the realism in the drawings, and the breadth of topics in this book are difficult to measure. I am a professional geographer, and I understand how labor-intensive the completion of this book must have been. Literally thousands of decisions made by Mrs. Fonstad had to fit with Tolkien's descriptions and intentions. That Tolkien's descriptions can stand up to such scrutiny of accuracy and internal consistency is a testament to Tolkien's magic (many authors' designed worlds do not).I also wish to dispell a misconception by an earlier reviewer. The review by Linards Ticmanis from Germany is in error about Mrs. Fonstad's portrayal of the world maps. He suggested that her maps show a world "only half as large as the real earth" and that Tolkien has designed Arda to be Earth (although Tolkien denied that Middle-Earth was Europe in The Lost Road, p. 25). However, the radius of the planet can be calculated from her maps by placing an orthographic projection diagram with lines of latitude and longitude on top of her maps (her world maps are orthographic projections). When a degree of longitude or latitude is compared to its ground distance (supplied by reading Tolkien), it is quite easy to calculate the radius of the planet, approximately 4200 miles (6770 km). This compares to 3963 miles (6378 km) radius for the earth. These two measurements are very similar, and the idea that Mrs. Fonstad's maps show a world that is "only half as large as the real earth" is in error. In any case, the Atlas of Middle-Earth is about as "Tolkien Purist" as you can get; and this adds to its value immensely.

"The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" are only a small story inside the world of the Ring developed by J.R.R. Tolkien over all those years... A world with its own languages, maps, religion and cultures. No wonder it was great time that an atlas of this imaginary world should be published one day.Karen W. Fonstad did a great job. The maps are detailed, giving more information in the shaping of Middle Earth, the politics and history of the continent and the detailed description of the journey of the "Fellowship of the Ring" adds an additional touch of realism. Now we get an idea of what the trip must have been, as a distance, and in what kind of environment...This book offers a great orientation in everyone wanting to know more about Middle-Earth.

If you've ever been one flipping to the maps in "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings" , or "The Silmarillion" to see where the action is taking place, then this book is for you.Karen Wynn Fonstad has done a remarkable job of mapping Middle-earth. The atlas is broken down into various sections, each easy to navigate to find what you're looking for.The First Age section is perfect for readers of "The Silmarillion", all the important places are mapped along with ample notes and observations.The Second Age deals with the fall of Numenor, a worthy companion to those reading "Unfinished Tales".The majority of the book deals with the Third Age. This is where "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" takes place. There are maps showing the kingdoms of the Dunedain as well as the migration of the dwarves and the hobbits.There are regional maps detailing the Shire, the Misty Mountains, Eriador, and Mordor. Two lengthy sections are devoted to the Hobbit and LotR, showing all the key places in the books. Fantastic maps to look over again and again.Towards the end of the book are included the thematic maps. Very interesting. These show the landforms, climate, vegetation, population and languages spoken.Overall, if you're remotely interesting in learning more about Middle-earth, or you're just interested in great maps, pick this up. Enjoy.