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"A Map of Middle-earth" is either of two colour posters by different artists, Barbara Remington and Pauline Baynes. Adapted from Tolkien's maps, they depict the north-western region of the fictional continent of Middle-earth. They were published in 1965 and 1970 by the American and British publishers of J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Lord of the Rings. The poster map by Baynes has been described as "iconic".

Origins

All maps of Middle-earth derive ultimately from J. R. R. Tolkien's own working maps, which he constantly annotated over the years, whether in English or in Elvish. He was unable to find the time to bring them into a presentable state in time for the publication of The Lord of the Rings. The task was delegated to his son Christopher. Neither of the maps known as "A Map of Middle-earth" cover the whole continent of Middle-earth; instead they portray the north-western region of that continent at the end of the Third Age, where the story of The Lord of the Rings takes place.

Jonathan Crowe, writing on TOR.com, describes Christopher Tolkien's cartography as hugely influential on fantasy literature, setting the norm for "epic fantasy novels" which "were supposed to come with maps".

Barbara Remington

The earlier poster, signed "BRem" (Barbara Remington), was published in 1965 by Ballantine Books. It features border images adapted from Remington's cover designs for the 1965 Ballantine paperback edition of The Lord of the Rings. Remington had not read the novel before designing the cover illustrations.

Pauline Baynes

The second version, by Pauline Baynes, was published in 1970 by George Allen & Unwin in the UK and by Ballantine Books in the USA. It features ten small inset illustrations of important locations from the story. The poster is framed at the top by a row of nine figures representing the members of the "Fellowship of the Ring" setting out on their quest. At the bottom is an array of antagonists from the novel, including the nine Black Riders, Gollum, Shelob, and various Orcs. The poster has become iconic. Tolkien liked Baynes's illustrative style to an extent, but felt that it was too decorative to be used directly to illustrate the narrative of The Lord of the Rings. He was however pleased with at least some of her vignettes on the poster map.

Baynes's poster map helped to make the capital letter-only Uncial script the standard for Middle-earth maps.

In 1971, Baynes created another map for Allen and Unwin, entitled There and Back Again: A Map of Bilbo's Journey Through Eriador and Rhovanion. It covers Bilbo's complete journey in The Hobbit, including the parts west of the Misty Mountains, and was based on Tolkien's map of Middle-earth.

References

1. ^ Kennedy, Maev (3 May 2016). "Tolkien annotated map of Middle-earth acquired by Bodleian library". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
2. Carpenter 2023, #141 to Allen & Unwin, October 1953
3. ^ Crowe, Jonathan (22 Jan 2020). "Celebrating Christopher Tolkien's Cartographic Legacy". TOR.com. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
4. Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (14 February 2011). "Addenda and Corrigenda to The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide (2006), Vol. 1: Chronology". Retrieved 28 March 2021.
5. "Tolkien Collector's Guide - Collector's Guide - Connecting with History - An Interview with Barbara Remington". Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2007.
6. Hammond, Wayne G.; Anderson, Douglas A. (1993). J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography. St. Paul's Bibliographies. p. 376. ISBN 978-1-873040-11-9.
7. Tankard, Paul (2017). ""Akin to my own Inspiration": Mary Fairburn and the Art of Middle-earth". Tolkien Studies. 14 (1). Project Muse: 133–154. doi:10.1353/tks.2017.0010. ISSN 1547-3163. S2CID 171811464.
8. Hammond & Scull 2006b, volume 2, page 422.
9. McIlwaine, Catherine (2018). Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth. Bodleian Library. p. 384. ISBN 978-1851244850.
10. "4. Middle Earth and Narnia". Osher Map Library. University of Southern Maine. Retrieved 12 August 2024.

Sources

• Carpenter, Humphrey, ed. (2023) . The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded Edition. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-35-865298-4.
• Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (2006b). The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Reader's Guide. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-007-14918-2.

External links

• Map of Middle-earth, showing the movements of characters from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film series by Peter Jackson
• In the Beginning was the Word: How Medieval Text Became Fantasy Maps tracing the roots of Tolkien's mapping influences to medieval prefatory textual practices.

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About	Volumes The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King Stories "The Shadow of the Past" "The Council of Elrond" "The Scouring of the Shire" "The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen" Translating List of translations Swedish Reception Impact Literary Fandom Fan fiction Oxonmoot Tolkienmoot Works inspired Tolkien's impact on fantasy
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Related works	The Hobbit The Adventures of Tom Bombadil Errantry Fastitocalon The Sea-Bell The Road Goes Ever On Bilbo's Last Song The Silmarillion Unfinished Tales The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien The History of Middle-earth The Children of Húrin The History of The Hobbit Beren and Lúthien The Fall of Gondolin The Nature of Middle-earth
Adaptations and derivative works Books Bored of the Rings (1969) The Last Ringbearer (1999) Muddle Earth (2003) Illustrations A Map of Middle-earth Pauline Baynes Barbara Remington John Howe Alan Lee Margrethe II of Denmark Ted Nasmith Theatre Fellowship! (2005) Lord of the Rings (2006) Music Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings (1972) Symphony No. 1 The Lord of the Rings (1988) Led Zeppelin "Ramble On" (1969) "Misty Mountain Hop" (1971) "The Battle of Evermore" (1971) Radio The Lord of the Rings (BBC, 1955) The Lord of the Rings (NPR, 1979) Hordes of the Things (1980) The Lord of the Rings (BBC, 1981) Der Herr der Ringe (1992) Film Animated The Lord of the Rings (Bakshi, 1978) The Return of the King (Rankin/Bass, 1980) The War of the Rohirrim (Kamiyama, 2024) Peter Jackson series The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) The Two Towers (2002) The Return of the King (2003) Music "Concerning Hobbits" "Into the West" "May It Be" Approach Production Hobbiton Movie Set Peter Jackson's interpretation Picturing Tolkien Tolkien on Film Other Sagan om ringen (1971) Khraniteli (1991) Hobitit (1993) The Rings of Power (2022) music Fan-made The Hunt for Gollum (2009) Born of Hope (2009) Gandalf Big Naturals (2021) Video games Journey to Rivendell Game One Game Two: Shadows of Mordor War in Middle Earth Vol. I (1990) Vol. I (SNES) Riders of Rohan Elendor Vol. II: The Two Towers The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King War of the Ring The Third Age Game Boy Advance The Battle for Middle-earth Tactics The Battle for Middle-earth II The Rise of the Witch-king Conquest Aragorn's Quest War in the North Lego The Lord of the Rings Guardians of Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor Shadow of War Gollum Return to Moria The Lord of the Rings Online Mines of Moria Siege of Mirkwood Rise of Isengard Riders of Rohan Helm's Deep Mordor Minas Morgul War of Three Peaks Fate of Gundabad Before the Shadow Tabletop role- playing games Middle-earth Role Playing The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game The One Ring Roleplaying Game Adventures in Middle-earth Board games Middle Earth War of the Ring Gondor: The Siege of Minas Tirith Sauron Lord of the Rings War of the Ring Card games Middle-earth Collectible Card Game The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game Other games Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game Lego The Lord of the Rings

• Posters
• Fictional maps
• Middle-earth locations
• Ballantine Books books