The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-Earth

Rating:
Summary: beautiful, but not what I expected
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, not great.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Solid posters with solid guide
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Nice maps, with even nicer commentary
Review: 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.