The Atlas of Middle-Earth

by Karen Wynn Fonstad

Karen Wynn Fonstad's THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH is an essential volume that will enchant all Tolkien fans. Here is the definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated -- nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised -- the atlas illuminates the enchanted world created in THE SILMARILLION, THE HOBBIT, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS.
Hundreds of two-color maps and diagrams survey the journeys of the principal characters day by day -- including all the battles and key locations of the First, Second, and Third Ages. Plans and descriptions of castles, buildings, and distinctive landforms are given, along with thematic maps describing the climate, vegetation, languages, and population distribution of Middle-earth throughout its history. An extensive appendix and an index help readers correlate the maps with Tolkien's novels.

Genres: Fantasy, Reference, Fiction, Maps, Art, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Karen Wynn Fonstad, née Wynn (April 18, 1945 - March 11, 2005) was the author of several atlases of fictional worlds.

Born Karen Lea Wynn in Oklahoma City to parents James and Estis Wynn, she graduated from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma, and then earned a B.S. degree in Physical Therapy and an M.A. in Geography, specializing in cartography, from the University of Oklahoma.

While attending the University of Oklahoma she met Todd A. Fonstad. They married on March 21, 1970 and produced two children: Dr. Mark A. Fonstad and Kristina Stingle.

Before her "retirement" to raising children and writing companion atlases, Fonstad was Director of Cartographic Services at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. Her formal acknowledgments for ''The Atlas of Pern'' (1984) include "my husband, Todd, associate professor geography" and the UW Oshkosh Department of Geography.

Karen Wynn Fonstad died, aged 59, from complications from breast cancer.

Provided by Wikipedia

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indeed, Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle Earth truly is one of my favourite and most treasured reference books of all time, period! For this expansive and informative "atlas" is not only a wonderful tome simply in and of itself, it is of course and naturally first and foremost primarily an enchanting and massively enlightening general companion to and important source of and for J.R.R. Tolkien's substantial oeuvre. A detailed and fascinating array of both general and specific maps are presented and featured, helping readers not only visualise but also navigate the many paths taken by elves, dwarves, men, hobbits and others during the three ages of Middle Earth. And most importantly (at least for me), Karen Wynn Fonstad's The Atlas of Middle Earth also demonstrates how Middle Earth as a whole, as a world has changed in shape, size and features since the First Age (The Elder Days). Recommended most highly for anyone who is a fan of Tolkien's Middle Earth, and to anyone who would love to visit Tolkien's Middle Earth (who fondly and longingly imagines and dreams of one day being able to set foot on Middle Earth).

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential to read in conjunction with J. R. R. Tolkien's works in the chronological order, starting with The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, The Fall of Gondolin, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Without this atlas I would be lost and would never understand J. R. R. Tolkien's world nearly as much as I do now.

[Shainlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are gonna visualize an epic quest, then it's always a good idea to see a lay of the land. I wanted to understand where they were going exactly and see it with my eyes and see the scale of miles, and how the other lands were surfaced compared to it. I love imagining , but I love having the atlas ready to look at so I can get back to reading. It keeps the image fresh in my head.
Nice maps.

[James Madsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this book to be an indispensable companion, along with the maps and chronology at the beginning of David Day's Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia, to any reading of The Silmarillion. It's also a very enjoyable companion to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Fonstad's scholarship is meticulous, and the book, for those who are reading or have read any of these three main works, also makes a superb stand-alone read--something unusual for an encyclopedic reference. Highly, highly recommended!

[Mission Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

خوندن سیلماریلیون و فرزندان هورین و قصه های ناتمام و به طور کلی مطالعه ی آثار تالکین بدون این اطلس، مثل تماشای فوتبال بدون تخمه است!
امکان پذیره ولی لذت بخش نیست:)

[Fahime · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب همونطور که از عنوانش پیداست، به نقشه‌های سرزمین میانه از دوران اول تا سوم اختصاص داره و علاوه بر معرفی مناطق مهم در دوران‌های مختلف، به قلمروها و سفرها و نبردهای مهم هم پرداخته.
در کل خوندنش خالی از لطف نیست و حتی برای من چند نکته جدید داشت. اگر سیلماریلیون رو خوندید، حتما این کتاب رو تهیه کنید. در غیر این صورت، از دوران اول و دوم صرف‌نظر کنید که فایده‌‌ای جز سردرگمی و اسپویل نداره.

پ.ن.: نقشه‌های نسخه‌ی انگلیسی دستی و سخت‌خوان هستن و نقشه‌های نسخه‌ی فارسی، تر و تمیز و مرتب (چون همه دوباره از اول رسم شدن) که یک مزیت بسیار مهمه. از طرف دیگه، نسخه‌ی فارسی (نشر روزنه) فونت بسیار ریز و شیرازه‌ی شل و ولی داره (کتاب من کاملا پر پر شده) و رنگ کاغذش تیره‌ست که کل قشنگی نقشه‌ها رو از بین برده (من چاپ سوم رو دارم).
ای نشر روزنه که انقدر برای نقشه‌ها زحمت کشیدید، لطفا درشت‌تر و روی کاغذ مرغوب‌تر چاپ کنید و بهتر صحافی کنید!

پ.ن۲: این حجم از جدی گرفتن یک دنیای خیالی از طرف یک نویسنده‌ی دیگه، یک مقدار ترسناکه.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what all the cool the places and things in the fantasy world of Middle Earth looked like. Excellent reference book. Very recommended

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reference for any Lord of the Rings fan. You could pour over this for hours ... and hours.

[Ilgar Adeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

واقعا کامله.
من نسخه پی‌دی‌اف انگلیسیشو همراه کتاب پیش میرم نمیدونم نسخه ترجمه چطور چاپ کرده نقشه هارو، ولی نسخه انگلیسی بشدت زیباست.
احتمالا ترجمه هم زیبا چاپ شده باشه

[Saturn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Posso solo esprimere ammirazione per il mastodontico lavoro di approfondimento di Karen Wynn Fonstad sull'opera tolkieniana. Questo libro aiuta il lettore a esplorare la Terra di Mezzo in lungo e in largo seguendo anche i cambiamenti avvenuti nel tempo. Ovviamente va affrontato dopo la lettura di almeno Lo Hobbit, Il Signore degli Anelli e Il Silmarillion per evitare di subire spoiler sulle trame. Oppure in caso di rilettura, si potrebbe decidere di accompagnare la lettura dei romanzi a questo libro, in quanto ha una sezione dedicata a Lo Hobbit e una dedicata al SdA. Quest'ultima però non segue pedissequamente l'ordine degli eventi. Infatti a un certo punto si dedica prima ad approfondire le battaglie (che avvengono in gran parte alla fine del libro) e poi ai percorsi con gli spostamenti dei personaggi (che per la maggior parte avvengono invece prima). Infatti questa parte, per gusto mio personale, ho preferito leggerla più o meno nell'ordine cronologico degli avvenimenti. Tutto il lavoro cartografico è più che ammirabile. L'unica nota negativa, personale, di questa lettura è che utilizza in gran parte nomi di una traduzione che io non ho mai letto e che ho appreso essere la più recente. Conoscendo bene le storie non ho faticato a intuire per esempio cos'era Valforra o chi erano i forestali (!!!), però diciamo che a saperlo l'avrei letto in inglese...
È comunque un gioiello per ogni appassionato di Tolkien.

[Bahador Jafari · Rating 5 out of 5]

برای من مثل یه کتابِ مرجع میمونه، هرموقع که مطلبی درباره‌ی دنیای آردا میخونم، و یا فیلمهارو دوباره میبینم، میرم سراغش و چندین ساعت توو نقشه‌هاش غرق میشم.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to believe that I haven't written a review of this wonderful book. The "Atlas of Middle-earth" is one of those resources that help to open up Tolkien's work for the reader in a way that adds to one's understanding of the original works. It is helpful to have multiple maps with explanatory material there to help the reader to visualize the geography and routes of all of the major works of J.R.R. Tolkien.

She provides floor plans for Bag End, Butterburr's Inn, the Beorn residence and on and on. The author was a professional cartographer trained at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Ok. I read the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" many times before I read Fonstad for the first time. Despite having read Tolkien's works many times it is an entirely different experience to look at the interpretation of those works by a cartographer, who sorts out the information and presents it in a visual, uniform fashion. There is a difference between the loose imaginings of that information that one gets from pleasure reading and the well-developed understanding gotten from looking at the maps and reading the essays.

She also includes material on the changing of the shape of the world as described in the "Silmarillion" and of the battles fought in that great book. This is a fantastic user companion for anyone interested in any of the works of Tolkien.

[Tex-49 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlante da consultare in accompagnamento ai libri di Tolkien, in modo da non perdersi nelle descrizioni geografiche. E' fatto bene, perché nel descrivere la Terra di mezzo, fonde insieme le informazioni tratte da tutti i libri di Tolkien, collegando le informazioni in un tutto unico coerente, in questo modo, quando si legge un libro si viene a conoscenza dei particolari dei vari luoghi anche se descritti in altri libri. Per ora ho letto le parti relative all'Hobbit e al Signore degli Anelli, lo riprenderò in mano quando rileggerò Il Silmarillion.

[Krell75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compendio fondamentale per ogni appassionato di Tolkien. L'autrice studiando minuziosamente gli scritti di Tolkien è riuscita a ricreare tutte le mappe geografiche della Terra di Mezzo e ci permette di rivivere attraverso dei riassunti le tre Ere della Terra di Mezzo. Utilissimo per avere un quadro generale della storia remota, tutte le battaglie svolte in oltre 9000 anni e grazie alle dettagliate e maniacali descrizioni di Tolkien l'autrice è riuscita addirittura a riportare su mappa i percorsi dei personaggi giorno per giorno. Eccezionale.

[Elsa Altschuler]

I REALLY want to read this!!

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

No surprise, but I loved this book. I love Tolkien and I love maps. It doesn't get much better than this!

The book is divided into three major sections, each covering one of his 3 major works: The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings. Accompanying the maps is a summary of the texts as well. I think people who have read The Silmarillion, but maybe only once or twice, and found it hard to follow, would do well to read this atlas. The summaries are good reviews, and the maps help visualize the many stories. If you are a visual learner, I think this atlas can really help you make sense of all the names, places, battles, etc.

She made so many different types of maps, from tracking characters' journeys to languages and population density. I had no idea how detailed Tolkien got in mapping his world (I knew how detailed he was about the languages and history!) and how much you could infer by his maps, such as what type of bedrock was where, or vegetation types. I'm pretty much the biggest Tolkien geek I know in real life, and I learned a lot from this book.

If there was one thing lacking, I wish there could be more colors in the maps, because sometimes it was hard to differentiate patterned areas. It's a very minor quibble, though, and doesn't take away my love for this book. Definitely will read again, and definitely recommend it!

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you into Tolkien? Yes, are you really into Tolkien? How many times have you watched The Lord of the Rings? Not, the Peter Jackson version, but the highly controversial Ralph Bakshi version? Do you have a copy of David Day's Tolkien Bestiary? Are you competitive with Stephen Colbert's knowledge? You might be interested in Fonstad's ambitious Atlas of Middle-Earth.

She writes: "Like Bilbo, I have always loved maps (and she has a degree in cartography)...(when) I finally read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbitt...I developed an explorer's need to map and classify..." In doing so she tackles the great and the small - everything from the shape of the world to the tiniest reference. This is not a big poster of Bilbo's journey. This is a painstaking collection of maps that track every reference in every Tolkien story beyond the above mentioned.

First and foremost, it is a historical atlas tracing the history of all the key races over time. Each significant battle is given graphic representation. Alliances and conflicts are shown as territory shifted over time.

There are reference to journeys that trace "Bag End to Rivendell," "Minas Tirith to the Morannon," and more through the maps she creates. There are "thematic" maps that show "land forms" over time and climate and languages. The effort that went into this was immense and, if you are really into Tolkien, you cannot be satisfied without at least reading it. And, having read it, will you call it "my precious?" I wouldn't be surprised.

[Wulf Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

During my recent re-read of “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again” I remembered that years ago I had bought this “atlas” in order to immerse myself even more fully into Tolkien’s world and to provide my children with maps to the adventures I was reading to them at the time.

In this atlas, you’ll find brilliant maps in two colours that are in all aspects very fitting to their source material. You’ll find the maps sorted by ages as well as regional maps, e. g. The Shire, as well as maps relating to the books and, last but not least, thematic maps, e. g. landforms, climate, vegetation and population.

It shows that the author is an actual cartographer because Fonstad’s maps feel real - like they were made by observance and not by obviously extensive research.

“The Atlas of Middle-Earth” is an amazing feat and every Tolkien enthusiast should own a copy!

Five out of five stars.


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[Linda ~ they got the mustard out! ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indispensable resource for all Tolkien enthusiasts. I used this quite often in my fanfic writing days. She explains how she tried to deal with some of the discrepancies between the text and the maps in LOTR, and provides short sections explaining the topography, geography, etc of each area of Middle-earth, as well as breaks down key locations.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bonkers intense read. Let me put it this way: halfway through the first paragraph, I knew I would have to reread this, but not before (re)reading anywhere between one to five other books first, depending on how high of a success rate I wanted. It took all my powers of concentration to get through to the last with any semblance of understanding, for however difficult the references or how intense the analysis, my love for Tolkien's creation was always stronger. That doesn't mean that I had the energy to figure out where all the numbered end notes were going until I was so close to the end that it wouldn't have made a difference, or that I didn't have to have a couple of severe talks with myself in order to not procrastinate on this until the due date passed. There were, however, a few moments when the piece gracefully fell into place, or Fonstad's turn of phrase vibrantly set the climactic scene, or a moment of Tolkien's genius refracted itself into a glory of greater than ever before understanding, and then I was even more thankful that I had not and never would succumb to watching the cash cow trash on Amazon that spewed out as soon as the rights were wrested (Christopher Tolkien, his father's chosen literary heir, resigned from the estate/trust in charge of the rights a mere three months before Amazon swooped in, so you tell me how that went down). Anyway, if it weren't already clear, this is not for the casual reader, nor even those who made it through The Silmarillion without serving up their own eyeballs on a silver platter. What it is, though, is a monumental labor of love, and I bless Fonstad for having the wherewithal to pursue this. Just the sheer sight of her bibliography makes me want to throw up my hands and scream, and if the fact that I'm committed to returning to this isn't a testament to my love for this literary world, nothing is.

For thirty-nine days they journeyed, and on the final day they surrounded Eressëa at sunset and camped that night at Túna. The next day at midmorning the world was broken

[cardulelia carduelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be bundled with all copies of the Silmarillion and the Lord of the Rings (the Hobbit has less need of it but it still enriches the experience).

You know all the sections of Tolkien's books where he describes how the characters proceed upon what bearing and at what speed and what mountains/rivers/forests are to the North/South/East/West of them? Well clearly he was just laying the foundations for this FANTASTIC book of maps by Fonstad. It has charts of the movements of the various elven races in the 1st and 2nd age of Arda, it has the route taken by Bilbo in Goblintown escaping the orcs, it has beautiful large maps of each of the regions of Middle Earth and the paths of the fellowships.
It is essential and brilliant, drawing from its sources of both generations of Tolkiens's works.

A must-buy.

[Plant Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only for the super geeky! All the multitude of maps are helpful while following the stories (includes maps for The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion) if one is so inclined to have to always know where the action is taking place. I have enjoyed it.

[Tia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice to have while reading through The Fellowship of the Ring, following along with the maps of where they all were as they traveled. Also, the dates and timelines etc. are interesting to read. Very well done!

[Kyriakos Sorokkou]

Ο ΓΥΡΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΡΚΙΝΟΥ ΣΕ ΟΓΔΟΝΤΑ ΜΕΡΕΣ
Μέρος Γ’ Ο Άτλαντας των Παρενεργειών

Και μετά από τις προ-Βικτωριανές Αγγλίδες που το ξύναν όλη μέρα επιστρέφω στην κανονικότητα με τον αγαπημένο Τόλκιν και ένα βιβλίο που απόλαυσα.

Το μόνο αρνητικό το μέγεθος του σαν κόλλα Α4 που το έκανε αδύνατο να διαβαστεί στο κρεβάτι. (χώρος που σύχναζα πολύ Αύγουστο με Σεπτέμβρη)

Με αυτό το βιβλίο ολοκληρώνω τον πρώτο από τους 3 κύκλους χημειοθεραπείας, έχω μάθει πάνω κάτω τι να περιμένω.
Εκ των υστέρων πλέον λέω ότι ο πρώτος ήταν ο πιο δύσκολος οι επόμενοι θα παρουσιάζουν σταδιακή βελτίωση.

Ταξίδεψα με τους χάρτες του Τόλκιν από τις Χώρες των Θεών στις Χώρες των Ανθρώπων (Μέση Γη)
Είδα επίσης και τις πορείες των ηρώων των δύο βιβλίων (Χόμπιτ, Άρχοντας) τις οποίες θα συμβουλεύομαι σε μελλοντικές επαναναγνώσεις.
Ακόμη είδα και αρχιτεκτονικού στυλ σχέδια κατοικιών σημαντικών προσώπων στον κόσμο του Τόλκιν.

Επιβεβαίωσα ότι η Μέση Γη του Σιλμαρίλλιον του Χόμπιτ και του Άρχοντα είναι μόνο η μύτη του παγόβουνου όσο αφορά τον κόσμο που έφτιαξε ο Τόλκιν.

[Octarine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très intéressant et très utile.
J’ai lu les parties concernées en même temps que le Silmarillion et c’était vraiment pratique pour visualiser, comprendre et mémoriser les flux migratoires, étudier les zones de guerre et constater les modifications géographiques eu fil du temps.

En ce qui concerne le Silmarillion, les cartes suivent à peu près l’ordre et les chapitres, donc c’est très pratique de trouver la section qu’on veut pendant la lecture.

Les cartes thématiques sont aussi très sympathiques, et je suis assez impressionnée d’avoir des paragraphes entiers sur la géomorphologie de la Terre du Milieu.

Je n’ai pas tout regardé dans le détail, mais ce serait intéressant de relier le Seigneur des Anneaux tout en suivant les cartes de l’Atlas.

[Ettelwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chcete se nakvartýrovat Bilbovi do Dna Pytle? Kouknout, v jak rozlehlém příbytku bydlel Thingol? Nebo si jen tak brouzdat po různorodých mapách Středozemě? V tom případě je tohle vaše kniha.

A je naprosto přípustné ztratit se na každé druhé mapě!

[Veronica]

Review to come

[Ettore Pasquini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cool book with maps of Middle-Earth across time. It also facilitates understanding the changes that happened in the various Ages.


First Age: Beleriand time. Ends with the War of Wrath, Middle-Earth reconfigured, northern realm of Morgoth destroyed, Morgoth cast away into the Void.

Second Age: Númenor time (foundation, rise and fall). Ends with the Last Alliance of Elves and Men defeating Sauron. Isildur cuts Sauron's finger and takes the Ring. Númenor is submerged. Sauron’s body is destroyed but his spirit survives.

Third Age: main events of LOtR take place. Ends with the War of the Ring.

Fourth Age: begins the defeat of Sauron and the departure of the Elves from Middle-Earth.


The depictions of Valinor and its relation to Middle-Earth were awe-inspiring, especially in relation to the myths and events narrated in the Silmarillion.

The main regional maps of the Third Age are big and nice to look at: Shire, Misty Mountains, Mordor and others are all portrayed in detail. Included are also maps of the pathways taken by the various protagonists in LOtR, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, so you can see which lands and landmarks the Fellowship, Merry + Pippin, Aragorn + Gimli + Legolas, Bilbo, Turin, etc. actually passed by. You can gaze at the interiors of the Prancing Pony, Isengard, Minas Tirith, Mount Doom, et al.

There are also some thematic maps: where each race lived and prospered; where the Great Plague spread; political maps across the ages; climate, vegetation, languages.

Toward the end of the book there’s a passage that explained to me the greater meaning of this book. Paraphrasing, Tolkien, by intermingling the many components of the “real” world (landforms, vegetation, minerals, population and its distribution, body types, languages, politics, transportation routes, architectures, colors, food, sounds) into his own, produced the quality he believed essential in determining the credibility of an imaginary world: “the inner consistency of reality”. It’s this inner consistency — and how successfully Tolkien achieved it in his writings — that makes books like this Atlas at all possible and even meaningful. Secondarily, these thoughts remind me how the relevance of a work of art can be judged by how many other works it inspired, after it is historicized.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much the ultimate reference book for the Middle Earth Mythos. This being said,actually just reading through it was much what I imagine reading through an actual atlas is like; i.e. rather dry. Had I actually owned this book and used it as actually intended, as a refence as I read through Tolkien's works, it probably would have gotten a higher rating from me, but, as I got it from the library and had a due date, I was unable to do this and still have time to finish it, so I was forced just to read it cover to cover, which is not what I believe was intended for this work.
So in conclusion, I highly recommend this book as a companion to the Silmarilion, Unfinished Tales, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and even The History of Middle Earth books, for anyone who want's a deeper look into just about any mappable information, from geography, population, to army movements. Definitely worth a look even if it's not read cover to cover.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a Middle-earth nut I just had to add this to my collection. It's a must-have I think now to any Tolkien fan, owing to the beautiful collection of maps it contains. It's also pretty darn good at summarizing all the stories from The Silmarillion and the First Age. As a geologist by profession I also enjoyed the technical, although never over-technical, geographical explanations and theory. I learned some good new things about the Middle-earth world also, which I'd probably skipped over or forgot, mainly that Gondolin is built in a caldera: an old, collapsed volcanic crater.

One thing I thought there would be more of was pictures/illustrations like there is on the front cover of Edoras, but it isn't, it is all 2D maps - but this was my mistake not reading the description properly.