Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Atlas of Middle-Earth



Believe it or not, there’s not one single movie or book that I’ve reviewed twice on here. Yet. This is the first book. I’m not actually going to review it, just highly recommend it again. If you love Lord of the Rings, this atlas is a must-have. Or at least must-access. The work that the author (Karen Wynn Fonstad) put into it unbelievable.
The maps are amazing and clear – I now know my middle-earth geography! I love those maps. Each is accompanied by several paragraphs about the place. There are maps from the first, second, third (Hobbit and LotR time), and fourth periods. There are maps showing where armies went (and whether or not that strategy worked). There are maps of individual locations (Lorien, Mines of Moria, and Isengard are my favorites), bigger things (countries and mountain ranges {like Mordor and the Misty Mountains}). There are maps by language. There are maps showing where sickness swept. There are maps by terrain. All are clearly labeled. There are even maps showing specific journeys…the one that comes to mind is actually two…one showing where Merry and Pippin were taken by the orcs in the beginning of Two Towers and one showing where Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli followed. That one (and others) is clearly marked with where they spent the night and how many miles were traveled each day. Another favorite is the one showing the entire trip of The Hobbit. Including, again, number of miles per day, and camp locations. And like I said, everything clearly labeled.
If you like Lord of the Rings, you’ve got to get this! Read my original review HERE. FYI, I bought my own copy online yesterday, and by the time you read this, it should have arrived! Can’t wait. :D
Click on the pictures below to view larger.
**Above map is of the Misty Mountains**


**Above map is of Weathertop**

3 comments:

birdienl said...

This really does sound like a must-have. I'm actually rereading LOTR. I'm working my way through The Two Towers at the moment and I sometimes read the paragraphs where Tolkien describes geography and more than once thought: it would be really handy to have some maps.... Well, I looked it up on Amazon and saw that there are a few rather cheap used copies, so perhaps....

Charity U said...

Birdienl, it is totally a must-have! I'm also re-reading LOTR -- aloud this time, and am in Return. The maps are such a huge help with reading through! Makes is so much more enjoyable. If you do end up buying it (which I highly recommend, even if it's a bit pricey [check half.com -- sometimes they're cheaper]), do stop back by and let me know what you think...even if (horror!) you don't absolutely adore it.

Kyle said...

I've looked at a map of Thranduil's Hall and it seems to me there are way more cells then actual palace.

If he were smart he would convert the inner most cell into a *panic room* of sorts to go into in the event of an invasion in which everything goes wrong.

The thick doors would significantly slow down invaders as there isn't enough room to deploy siege machines in the narrow lower halls.