Rating: 
Summary: A must-have companion to the book
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Resource
Review: Aside from the actual maps drawn or approved by JRR Tolkien in his lifetime, Fonstad's maps are THE primary cartographic source for fans of the books. Additionally, they are by far the most complete and detailed. The maps are not in full color, but in brown, black and shades of gray. In other words, this isn't an art book. It's meant strictly for finding your way through Middle Earth, and in that respect Fonstad is remarkably successful. Her atlas includes both large scale maps of whole regions as well as "blueprints" of all the major buildings (Minas Tirith, Meduseld, etc. right down to the location of every room in Bag End). It also traces the journey of each party in the fellowship as the story progresses. Maps of the first and second age as well as schematic graphical representations of battles are presented (ie invading and defending hosts are represented by arrows). Overall, very helpful and worthy of any serious Tolkienite's library.
Rating: 
Summary: A Worthy addition to a Tolkein library
Review: If your interest is in the Mythology of Middle Earth, this book with its extensive illustrations and commentary increase your understanding of the story. If you are only passing through the Tolkein universe through the guidance of the films by Peter Jackson, you can be brought further understanding of the depth of Dr. Tolkein's masterwork. I hope you purchase the book, and enjoy it as much a I.
Rating: 
Summary: Fonstad's numerous errors have NOT been corrected
Review: This book remains, as I noted in my March 15 review (based on an earlier edition), the best available cartographical resource for Tolkien's world available, other than Christopher Tolkien's maps. Unfortunately, this book simply doesn't depict Tolkien's Middle-earth with any appreciable degree of accuracy. All they did was slap a new cover on a work which is now out-of-date. The practice of reissuing popular Tolkien books and tertiary resources like Fonstad's Atlas of Middle-earth is to be expected, of course, since Peter Jackson's movies are going to drive Tolkien-mania to frenzied heights never before seen. What is good about this book is the fact that Fonstad makes an effort to chart everything in the stories. You have a quick reference which conveys an idea of who went where, when. But don't accord this book any real authority. You have to double-check everything Fonstad does in order to see where the errors are. Some of the worst examples are her dual locations for Rhosgobel (the placement south of the Old Forest Road is the correct one, according to "The Ring Goes South" in The Fellowship of the Ring), the placement of Belegost south of the Gulf of Lune (Tolkien said it was at about the same latitude as Lake Nenuial in Unfinished Tales), and her shaving 100 miles off the width of Eriador. The gross error concerning Eriador's width affects all her calculations, including the lengths of journeys for Frodo and Bilbo. Movements for peoples in the First Age are also inaccurate. The Easterlings entered Beleriand in three waves. The Folk of Ulfang crossed the Ered Luin in the path of the Edain, but the Folk of Bor and later Easterlings passed north around the Ered Luin. This information was published in The War of the Jewels, which Fonstad did not use as a resource. In the Second Age, she ignores Unfinished Tales completely and places Thranduil (the son of Oropher) in northern Greenwood, instead of in the southern part of the forest. Her depiction of Dale's borders in the Third Age is grossly inaccurate, and Druwaith Iaur is placed to the north of where Christopher Tolkien indicates it should be on his map. Many of these errors, by themselves, are small things. But nearly every map has one or more problems with it. In some cases it's obvious Fonstad's research was superceded by later books she didn't have access to. But some of the gaffes are simply inexplicable. It was my sincere hope the errors would be corrected in this edition. But apparently the publisher just felt a new cover would hide the problems. Is the book worth buying? Sure. Anyone who wants a quick visual reference to Middle-earth will find this volume invaluable. But if you're planning to use it to win trivia contests or argue with your friends over Tolkien minutiae, pray the other people don't refer to the original books. Tolkien readers need a new cartographical reference. Hopefully, one will come along some day that doesn't look this bad.
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate companion to The Lord of the Rings
Review: As I said in my subject title, this book is the ultimate companion to the Lord of the Rings saga by JRR Tolkien. The Atlas goes into immense details of the maps of Tolkien's Middle Earth, highlighting the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo and The Fellowship of the Ring. It is all done in a very serious, sincere and professional manner, and it is clear that Ms. Fonstad has put a lot of effort into making this book. But like all works of fiction, there are errors, but there are few to be sure. Where these errors arise, Ms Fonstad has made reasonable assumptions or compromises between the conflicting data, but none of them seriously detract from Tolkien's word in any way. As another reviewer said, this is testament to the creative genius of Tolkien, and his uncanny attention to detail that make the books so believable. I highly recommend this book to any Lord of the Rings fan, as it is a fascinating book that clarifies the geography of Middle-Earth in a way that has never been done before.
Rating:
Summary: Man, what an awesome book!
Review: Then I first heard that JRR Tolkien prided himself in his attention to specific details, I was somewhat skeptical. When I found out that Tokien had drawn his own map of Middle-Earth, I realized that the man was an obsessed freak (but in a good way). The Atlas of Middle-Earth does live up to it's title as an atlas, providing the proper distance scales, descriptions, and directions (Tolkien had even developed unique symbols for north, south, east, and west). Every place mentioned in Tolkien's works is wonderfully explored in this book. From the plains of Mordor to the halls of Bag End. Even the city of Minas Tirith and the volcano Mount Doom are examined. Fans of The Silmarillion will delight in the maps of Valinor. There are even maps tracking the paths of the journeys in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This book is an excellent addition to the library of anyone who admires and loves the works of JRR Tolkien.
Rating:
Summary: Priceless
Review: This is one of the most treasured books i own. While, and after reading Tolkien's books, i found it to be a goldmine of information. This is the only atlas you will need. It is definately worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Detailed
Review: Anyone who has problems following the trails blazed by the characters in Tolkien's books would enjoy this Atlas Of Middle Earth. This book is also great for those who enjoy Tolkien's works on a deeper level and really want to get in their mind's eye who was going where. I think that this book is really well presented and full of details and information.
Rating:
Summary: it will keep you entertained................
Review: trying to figure out how to read these incredibly confusing maps
.as others have said its inacurate and very un-detailed.none of it is 3-d and all very dull and bland but its really the only thing you can get besides christopher Tolkiens the history of middle earth.CONCLUSION:It will keep you interested if you tally up all the mistakes there are in this inacurate depiction of tolkiens world.
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but not a substitute for other atlases
Review: I got really, REALLY lost using this. I'm not sure who to contact about this, but it's I-27, not I-29, that runs through Lubbock.
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