Tolkien: An Illustrated Atlas

Tolkien Illustrated Guides

by David Day

J. R. R. Tolkien’s fictional universe is as vast as the human imagination, so an atlas is a helpful tool to get around. Consider this book your navigational guide to Middle-earth and the Undying Lands. Maps, images, and vivid descriptions in full color create an enchanting reference to all the fantastical places and creatures that sprung from Tolkien’s mind. The deluxe, heat-burnished cover makes this a charming addition to your Tolkien library.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Art, Reference, Classics, High Fantasy

256 pages, Leather Bound

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

David Day (b. 14 October 1947 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a Canadian author of over forty books: poetry, natural history, ecology, mythology, fantasy, and children's literature. Internationally he is most notably known for his literary criticism on J. R. R. Tolkien and his works.

After finishing high school in Victoria, British Columbia, Day worked as a logger for five years on Vancouver Island before graduating from the University of Victoria. Subsequently he has travelled widely, most frequently to Greece and Britain.

Day has published six books of poems for adults and ten illustrated children's books of fiction and poetry. His non-fiction books on natural history include The Doomsday Book of Animals, The Whale War, Eco Wars: a Layman Guide to the Environmental Movement, Noah's Choice and most recently Nevermore: A Book of Hours - Meditations on Extinction (2012).

His Doomsday Book was a Time Magazine Book of the Year and became the basis for the 100 part animated-short TV series "Lost Animals of the 20th Century".

David Days best-selling books on the life and works of JRR Tolkien include: A Tolkien Bestiary, Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia, Tolkien's Ring, The World of Tolkien and The Hobbit Companion.

Day's Tolkien's Ring was illustrated by academy award-winning artist Alan Lee, as was Castles, The Animals Within, Gothic and Quest For King Arthur.

Reviews

[[ J o ] · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute stunner of a book. You'd be forgiven for thinking that this book is purely full of illustrations and snippets of info about Middle Earth and the greater land of Arda, but it is so much more.

Tolkien created a whole Cosmology and dedicated the myths to his beloved England, which includes the creation of a flat world and the subsequent rounding of this world in to an Earth-like world, which, after the events found in his novels, did indeed turn in to Earth as we know.

This book chronicles all of this creation myth, one to rival Norse, Greek and other ancient creation myths with striking similarities that turn it in to something that feels as if they are myths from the beginning of time. It is fluidly written, with divine illustrations and so much information Tolkien would have been proud to see others enjoying his Cosmology as much as he wanted them to. It's easy to forget that Tolkien wanted us to have his ideas and thoughts and use them as our own. Middle Earth is a place for us all to explore, and this book helps us to do that.


Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Shop | Etsy

[Sean Barrs · Rating 3 out of 5]

After my recent revisit of The Silmarillion I’ve developed the Tolkien bug once more. I recently picked up this along with The Battles of Tolkien. Aesthetically speaking, they both look great.

I’m a bit of a Tolkien collector. If a book has his name on it I tend to buy it. And this is what books like these rely on: the money of the diehard Tolkien enthusiasts like myself. The edition may seem a bit superfluous, but there’s some good information in here along with some glorious artwork. It's also nice to see some other illustrations besides that of Allan Lee. The book is well laid out too. I’m happy to add it to my shelf even if I’m unlikely to pick it up again in the future.



So it's a good looking little guide to the locations of middle earth!

I’ve read most of Tolkien’s work, but I’ve reviewed very few of them. I really do need to start doing some proper Tolkien reviews. He is one of my favourite authors after all, and whilst books like this are good reminders of his genius, they could never capture the breadth of his imagination.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm the kind of person, that will pick up a book and buy it, purely for the reason of it having "Tolkien" stamped on it. Everything related to Tolkien, I will surely buy, even if it is to just look good in my bookcase. This book actually fulfills that particular wish. It is a beautiful leather-bound book, and it looks amazing even just to look at.
When one actually reads this book, they will not find an atlas, as this is very much lacking in maps. Instead, there are short snippets, maybe a few paragraphs of information about the various locations covered in here, and a lot of artwork. Now, some of the artwork is beautiful, and I think that is essentially, what makes this book good, but, some of it, I didn't appreciate in the least, and for me, it looked too simple.
I think the accuracy of some of the information in here is definitely questionable, and I have heard that others that have read this have done the same. I think this is a light-hearted book to dip into, but, if you're a die-hard Tolkien fan like me, then don't expect too much from it.

[Alfred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult to Place

I enjoyed this book, and it has some stellar artwork. There are charts and timelines that explain the progression of Tolkien's world of Ëa. It's wonderfully bound, too.

Is it an atlas? Well, not really...

It has some maps, though not as detailed or consistent as other books on the subject. Most of the page count is taken up by illustrations of some key events throughout the ages of Middle-earth and brief summaries of characters, events, locations and artefacts.

I'd just finished Unfinished Tales before I read this, and so I'm still all too aware of the complexity of what's canon in the Legendarium. There's no discussion in this book about what may or may not be canon, and I still don't feel well-versed in Tolkien to take a position on whether this book is a reliable resource for those who want to more deeply understand Tolkien's works. I did notice, however, that the Nirnaeth Arnoediad was consistently misspelled as Ninaeth Arnodiad, which irked me a little and me wonder if there were other errors that I might not have recognised as such. Perhaps this was an anomaly, or a failure of the publisher or proof reader.

Overall, I did find a lot to enjoy in the short book. I'd recommend but with a wariness that it is neither an Atlas nor a perfectly reliable resource.

3.5 out of 5

[Pavle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitivno je namenjeno onima koji su već upoznati sa Tolkinovom bibliografijom, dakle koji su pročitali kako Gospodara/Hobita, tako i Silmarilion, ali i razne apendikse/dodatke. Ono što ostaje možda malo šturo, atlas (iako je zapravo pre siže) nadoknadjuje prostom praktičnošću jer u dvesta i nešto strana ovo je bukvalno istorijski zapis Tolkinovog sveta, od prvog trenutka pa do poslednjeg (zabeleženog). Tolkin je bio i ostao madjioničar i pravo je uživanje osetiti i ovako prenesenu istoriju njegovog sveta, pokloniti se pred njenom kompleksnošću i upiti magiju kojom ona odiše. Setiti se prvog i drugog i trećeg čitanja i poželeti još jedno. A i izdanje je stvarno divno.

4

[Elentarri · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't the type of ATLAS that has maps in it. This is the type of atlas that has tables, illustrations, some maps, charts and a bit of superficial half-summaries of places and events under headings. This book is pretty but there is nothing of substance in the contents. If you haven't read the Silmarillion, or the Appendices to the Lord of the Rings you will be lost and confused. If you have read those works, then this book will provide nothing new. It isn't particularly useful as a guide either. David Day also tends to be liberal with his interpretation of some aspects Tolkien's works.

If you want maps, try Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-Earth by Karen Wunn Fonstad and Journeys of Frodo: An Atlas of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by barbara Strachey.

Also interesting is Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen and
Making of Middle-Earth by Christopher A Snyder.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t quite an atlas in the sense of containing maps, unless you take it a bit more metaphorically to be a sort of field guide to Middle-Earth. If you’re a big fan of Tolkien, you probably don’t need to read this for itself, as it just summarises and teases info from the books, but if The Silmarillion is too heavy for you, it might help you through. It’s also just a gorgeous book: lots of illustrations, lovely binding, etc, etc.

Less of a book to read and more for reference — and a good taster of various artists who’ve done work in Tolkien’s universe. I’m going to have to look some of these up, and maybe even try and get a couple of prints.

Originally posted here.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book to delve into the intricate timeline that Tolkien made. It's not quite an illustrated atlas, there are plenty of illustrations but maybe not enough of the world-building itself.
Personally really enjoyed it and the artwork in it is beautiful.

[Spalah ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was amazing. The book full of beautiful stunning arts and little explanations about events in Tolkien universe. For someone who read all Tolkien's books here there's no new information but however it's a very beautiful compilation of facts about Middle-Earth geography. A work of a truly fan. I love it so much

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro precioso y perfecto que te ayuda a conocer el mundo que creó Tolkien de forma simplificada. Cómo se creó la tierra, las diferentes edades, la aparición y desaparición de ciudades, personajes y lugares importantes... Fantástico para los seguidores del profesor!! 😍

[Sabrina au Barca · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved it!

[Shannon DaRin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this to any Tolkien fan. It’s a beautiful book. To fully appreciate the artwork and additional information, make sure you’ve read The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings beforehand.

[Petra Valković · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maaaan, where was this when I struggled through The Silmarillion? 😅 It would've been much easier to follow the narrative. Don't get me wrong, I love The Silmarillion, but it was a challenging read. Well, I guess I'll have to reread it now 😁. This atlas is a great companion guide for the early works of Tolkien's creation of Arda as well as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It shows us the geography and timeline of specific events which occured through ages, the shaping of Middle-Earth, races, characters and creatures that inhabited it and even plants + about 80 illustrations of various artists. I enjoyed reading it and will have it by my side when I visit Tolkien's world again. ❤️

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book acts as a handy and very informative companion for all Tolkien fans.
Day deliberately addresses the fact that this "Atlas" is intended both for those who already know the films and books & for those who have only seen the films so far or haven't had much contact with the Tolkien universe (yet).

The work is divided into six chapters which thematically cover the entire history of Middle-Earth, from the origin of Arda to the destruction of the One Ring.
If you only know the movies, you will still encounter many facts and retellings of events you already know or are aware of.
It gets really interesting when it comes to additional information such as the names of the cities and the (wild) animals of Middle-Earth. The history of the origin of Arda is compelling and vividly described and will be a great help especially for those who have not yet dared to approach "The Silmarillion". At the same time, these overviews also offer an extended, informative background on the LOTR books/ films.

This book contains many drawings and paintings that beautifully illustrate the complexity and variety of Tolkien's world. There are also some tables and family trees about the origin and lineage of the human races, the elves and the animals included.

The book is very interesting and informative though I don't know if I'll give it another read-through in the future. But it's perfect for picking it up from time to time, marveling at its paintings and looking up facts and useful information.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely cool little book if you're into the world of Middle-earth like I am. It's a total overview of the entire history of Tolkien's fantasy world, and I wish I'd had it when I read "The Silmarillion" a couple years ago, because I think it would've been really helpful for keeping people and events straight.

This doesn't go into great depth about any of the happenings in Tolkien's books, nor does it cover every event and mention every character. It's just an overview, like I said. But it's a really good overview, and I enjoyed it a lot. I also feel like I have a better grasp of Middle-earth history now than I did before, so yay!

[Mazzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very beautifully crafted book, presenting a non-exhaustive but precise retelling of all things that happened in Middle-earth, the Undying Lands and all the fantastic stories J.R.R. Tolkien has come up with. It was so great to dive back into that world, it made me decide to reread The Lord of the Rings!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Atlas of Tolkien gives a geographic and chronological context for the narratives of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. The texts are quite interesting on their own, but what you should really pick this book up for are the illustrations. It’s full of detailed and beautiful illustrations about the world of Tolkien, made by many artists through out the years.

I really enjoyed revisiting this after watching The Rings of Power.

[cosmic_truthseeker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going to keep this review short. Or at least try to.

An Atlas of Tolkien is a very, very pretty book. It's got a lovely cover, and some absolutely stunning illustrations. It's a great look at some very different interpretations of the stories; you won't find anything from the films in here.

In terms of information, the book warns you from the start that it's not telling any full stories. It's giving glimpses at the wider narratives, providing context, such as Tolkien's Creation Myth, and details of events in The Silmarillion that led up to, and provide context for, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

It also provides a glimpse into Tolkien's creative process, whilst praising him for achieving a feat equal to "if Homer, before Iliad and the Odyssey, had first to invent the whole of Greek mythology and history".

In many ways, this book is an abridged version of Tolkien's mythos. It works very well as a companion book, raising questions that can then be more thoroughly explored through the reading of more of Tolkien's works.

However, it is at times repetitive. Sometimes I felt that I had read a piece of information two or three times, and occasionally I would read this information a second time and it would contradict (or seem to contradict) something that was said earlier.

It definitely isn't a bad book. In fact, it's very good, whether you're knowledgeable on the deep lore of Tolkien already, or just starting to develop an interest.
Not a complete story, of course, but definitely a good read. I certainly learned something of the origins of Middle-Earth by reading it.
Definitely one I'd recommend, and I intend to get my hands on the other books by David Day in future.

[Jelena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a pretty, pretty, pretty book!

Samo bih ja mazila. Prelijepa knjiga. Daje hronoloski poredane dogadje iz Tolkinovog svijeta. Nista vise. Ali, Isuse, kako je lijepa.

[Gunnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 stars. Almost took a full year to finish but it was actually a very quick and easy read. If you want to know anything about Middle-Earth this is the place to go. It’s more of a companion guide to the stories but it has cool pictures too.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one so much more than The Hobbits of Tolkien. Here, Day's information is concise and to the point, giving us a history and overview of Middle Earth that makes it easy to follow and understand, lots of the text just being one to a few pages on each topic and location, and I found it very fun and interesting to read. It taught me things I didn't know yet, and the art in this book is absolutely incredible.

With this being described as a comprehensive atlas with full colour maps throughout, it can be quite deceiving to some people what this book is. Similar to The Hobbits of Tolkien, the book takes that idea then only partly runs with it, weaving a lot more into it and less of what the title says it is. But in Hobbits I didn't like the fact that it focused almost solely on etymology; with this book, it does still have a page about every location with a matching piece of artwork to illustrate those locations, so it didn't disappoint me - it's just also more of a general history than just an atlas, and doesn't have as many maps as you might have expected.

[Alex Harris-MacDuff · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this book is very badly written, with mistakes to characters names (within the context of this book alone, not through knowing the name's already), and some very silly choices of where to display the pictures. In one lovely picture of the Two Trees of Valinor, Laurelin is slap bang on the crease where the pages join, so you can't see it at all.

It's a shame, because this book does have a nice cover and the art is lovely by and large, it's the writing that lets it down. It reads as a fan made piece of work, rather than something professional and well researched.

I am a huge Tolkien fan and nerd, so I will clearly have a bit of extra criticism most people wouldn't have, but it seems egregious to get Saruman's Elvish name wrong and to equivocally state that Tom Bombadil is a Maia, rather than the deliberate mystery he is left to be.

Also, the timelines and charts are incredibly badly laid out, bordering on the indecipherable.

[Charley Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to review a book that isn't really a book. However, for what it is, this book is absolutely worth it. Not in the least because it's all so pretty I'm on the verge of sprinting through the woods screaming "TINUVIEL!" and sticking my hand into the mouth of the neighbour's bitey chihuahua.

David Day is to be commended for creating a relatively cohesive and conclusive guide from what is, really, a pretty scattered legendarium covering a lot of vaguary, incomplete sections and complete sections full of such batty ideas as sunken islands, hand-built mountain ranges, and a world re-shaped not once but twice by a very grumpy god who doesn't understand why we can't all just get along.

For such a visual topic, you may find you get more out of the artwork than out of the written material, but both are well worth your time - and a thoroughly gorgeous addition to one's shamelessly nerdy shelf of Tolkien goodness.

[Bárbara Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely companion to the Tolkien universe! It has some nice (and a few actually stunning) illustrations and a fancy binding. More importantly, however, is the rather simple but accurate overview of the main places/characters/events that took place in the Middle Earth and Undying Lands. It's really inspiring how a single person could create such complex and intricate systems!
I learned way more from it than I was expecting, and besides the urge to re-read The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy, I think I might be ready to go on an adventure and finally begin The Silmarillion!
(Seriously though, Tolkien explains how the Earth originated from a song, and was originally flat, then how it turned to a round shape, and evolved into the Earth as we know it. How cool is that?)

[Terence · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give this a higher rating but the artwork is...not very good. There are a few impressionistic (with a lower-case "i," not the artistic movement) scenes that are OK and the page depicting Luthien confronting Morgoth on his throne is decent. Otherwise, the rest of the art is ugly.

And Day commits the unforgivable sin of misspelling the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, not once but consistently throughout the text and in the index.

If you're a Tolkien fan you can get along without this volume.

And the maps? Rather crudely drawn and not very informative.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, but the edition I have could do with some editing as a paragraph was repeated in it. It's a fantastic guide which would be a great recap for those who have already read the books. For those who haven't, there are no major spoilers but it quickly flits from one thing to another due to the vast timespan it covers, so it would probably be easy to get confused.

[nusaybah · Rating 4 out of 5]

so aesthetic 😍


of course, also very informative etc. etc. (coughs)

[Jana]

omg, Tolkien was a beast!!
Very informative and interesting if you're a Lord of the Rings fan plus the illustrations in this are beautiful 😍

[Keeley Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a stunning and special book! I’ve not read all of Tolkien’s work so this gave me a good understanding into Arda’s main events and history over the first three ages. Perfect for LoTR fans and the artwork is beautiful 😍

[˚༚✧˳⁺⁎davm⁎⁺˳✧༚˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loooved the charts And maps and run-downs of complex topics like the different ages. Wasn’t a fan of some of the art in there.