Customer Reviews

The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth

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This item is a slipcase with two volumes inside.

One contains four unfoldable 28 x 28 maps, with border illuminations and illustrations, in watercolor with ink captions, by Howe after the originals: Wilderland from The Hobbit, the isle of Númenor, Third Age Middle-earth, and Beleriand. The last two of these impressed me most: Howe's Middle-earth, though less precisely rendered than Pauline Baynes's earlier copy along the same lines, is really attractive. But the appeal of Tolkien's original Wilderland map lies in its busy detail, and Howe's open wash from a receding perspective seems rather vacant. My wife the musician immediately started critiquing the bowing styles of the dwarf musicians in the framing illustration.

The other volume has four independent and well-written essays by Sibley discussing the origin of each original map and the place of geography in each story, plus a gazetteer of each land.

I'd recommend this for the commentary, or if you want to pin the maps as posters on your wall. If you have the original books, you don't need these maps, but they do make nice posters.

John Howe and Brian Sibley are both towering figures in the "Lord of the Rings" fanbase -- Howe has been known for years as one of the two finest Tolkien artists, and Sibley gained fame in the past few years as the guy who chronicled the behind-the-scenes information on the movies. Together, their "Maps of Tolkien's Middle-Earth" is a solid release that adds an extra dimension to ordinary maps.

Howe presents four fold-out maps of Middle-Earth: Wilderland, the areas traversed by Bilbo Baggins in "The Hobbit," a general map of Middle-Earth, a map of Beleriand and other lands of the north, and the land of Numenor. The latter two haven't been released in this country, which makes them especially interesting.

Admittedly, the maps aren't too detailed or intricate; they seem rather basic. But Howe hasn't just drawn colorful maps -- he surrounds the maps with his exquisite illustrations of trees and hills, castles, Bilbo and the Dwarves at Bag End, Gandalf on Shadowfax, the seashore and mountains. With Howe's intricate, Celtic-looking borders separating the illustrations from the maps, each poster takes on almost the look of a medieval tapestry.

The foldout poster-maps are exceptional on their own. But Brian Sibley's accompanying guide is almost as good -- he has a separate section for each map that details the various cities, mountains, and other important points. What's more, Sibley details the history of each map in Tolkien's life, and the importance of that part of Middle-Earth in his ongoing story. Sibley's essays are well-written and interesting, and his descriptions of the locations in Middle-Earth is quite well done.

Don't expect something too earth-shattering -- "Maps of Tolkien's Middle-Earth" is precisely what the title implies. It's map posters, accompanied by an insightful guide book. Both are well-done and masterfully illustrated, especially Howe's accompanying illustrations in Sibley's book (both rougher black-and-white pictures, and polished color paintings). And Sibley's talent for writing breezy, pleasant prose serves him well when describing various story events in "Lord of the Rings," "The Hobbit" and "The Silmarillion."

Sibley and Howe's collaboration is a beautiful and intriguing item for fans of "Lord of the Rings," adding a bit of extra color to Tolkien's fictional universe.

It is divided into two books. One containing the maps which are not connected to the spine, and the other with the list of places and events on the maps. I'd probably recommend this to a younger reader or someone just starting out reading Tolkien. The maps are nicely done yet not really what I expected. Really more of a poster art. The book(s) aren't bad, just not what I expected and I wasn't really impressed.

I purchased this on impluse before Christmas as a gift for my husband. While the maps are beautiful and the book, what I've read so far, interesting, I was really, really hoping for a more detailed map of Hobbiton and environs. The cover of the boxed set implied, to my eye, there would be more detailed coverage of the places in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. That said, it is still a nice addition to the library of die-hard Tolkien fans. Just don't expect to study the maps and then be able to day-dream of walking trails in the shire or following the footpaths of the Fellowship through Middle Earth in detail.

Four maps are included: Wilderland, Middle-Earth, Beleriand and Numenor. Also included is a book (80 pages) with a brief background and then listings of most locations on the map with one or two sentences about each.

The maps are 28 by 28 with about 6 inches of paintings around the edges thus leaving the map itself relatively small. For example the Middle Earth map itself is only 19" x 16". Unfortunately they are also folded, thus reducing the potential value of displaying them on your wall as art.

This is definitely a very nice product, but it could have been better if the map portion was actually larger and more detail such as that available in "Atlas of Middle Earth" was used.

I bought this product for the maps. There is a nice booklet with some art and commentary but I skimmed and shelved it to get to figuring out where in my office I was going to put them.

Admittedly, I was somewhat disappointed when they first arrived. I had hoped more of the maps themselves would occupy the poster. In that regard, 'The Hobbit' map is as much border art as it is map. The 'Numenor' map suffers from a similar foible. The map is very small and simple and dominated by the artwork.

But here's the thing. The artwork on the borders of the maps is totally in tune with the theme of the map and is quite lovely to behold. Especially the 'Numenor' map, which now has a front and center position behind and above my monitor at home so I can rest my eyes on its glorious blue ocean scenes which depict the drowning of the island and the Numenorean fleet ships.

The artwork has really grown on me the longer I look at them and so my initial disappointment has faded. What I really wanted, the whole reason really why I bought this, is for the 'Beleriand' map. As a fan of the 'Silmarillion' I have wanted a large color map to put up in my personal space at home all my life. Now I have both 'Beleriand' and 'Middle Earth' on the wall to my left, the 'Beleriand' poster is always in the corner of my eye and I can read the names of many of the regions from several feet away. So those two maps turned out to be as big as was required.

The actual map dimensions for those two are 15.5x19.5(inches)inside a 28.5x28.5 total area.

Overall, I am happy with it and would recommend it for Tolkien fans and fantasy map collectors.

Other than the fact that the maps are absolutely beautiful, the 80 page booklet by Sibley is alone worth the money. He offers detailed, yet summarized, histories of Beleriand and Numenor. As someone that loves Tolkien's work, yet couldn't finish The Silmarillion, I found this book extremely effective in finding out what happened to the tragic island of Men, and the downfall of the 2nd Age. The Hobbit map is particularly well-drawn, and a marvel to look at, even if you know where everything already is with your eyes closed. As for the Map of Middle-earth, it doesn't offer anything new as far as details of minute locations, but it does serve as a great tool to read along the Trilogy with. There is also some beautiful artwork around the bordering of the Maps. Overall, I would say that this my favorite purchase in Tolkien's realm, other than the Trilogy and the Hobbit.

If you are not "collecting" this book to keep forever, the maps are beautiful art and are perfect for framing. I love the colors, so very earthy rich and nature oriented. There are two books in the hard slipcover. The first book is really only a hardcover jacket and contains four loose maps. The maps are folded, which I think is the only drawback to owning these poster maps because when framed, the fold lines do show somewhat. (But I'm only decorating a den with them, not a fancy room.) The second book contains text corresponding to the maps. I think my money was well spent on these beautiful maps. But I am not saving them, I am using them.

I'm somewhat like some of the characters about whom Tolkein wrote: I love maps. They help me understand cultures and the lands that shape them. The art in these maps and the detail helps on understand Tolkein's works. Comparing the different maps from the different ages of Middle Earth brings forth new relevations in Tolkein's writings.

The artwork in the maps is beautiful as well. I can pull out the maps, Tolkein's writings, and reference works about Tolkein's works and pleasantly while away an hour or two. This was probably one of my favorite Christmas presents I have received.

These are four maps drawn by John Howe, an artist well-known as a Tolkien illustrator. If you're not familiar with his work I suggest checking it out. The maps are of Beleriand, Numenor, Middle Earth, and of the lands journeyed through in The Hobbit. All of the maps have a thick border with symbols, captions, and illustrations and are real works of art. The maps are 28x28 and come folded up inside of a hardcover jacket. The maps are accompanied by a thin hardcover book by Brian Sibley that sheds some light on what's in the maps. I haven't read all of the way through it but I don't think there's anything new if you've already read the Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. The only drawback is that I have to custom order frames to put them in cause it's hard to find 28x28 frames in stores.