Product reviewsThe Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad (Paperback, 1992)

If you like Tolkien and maps buy it.

Excelent addition to any fans tolkien collection. however maps are just black, brown and reyish. this book is the result of a massive amount of work and researchby the author. Well worth having.

A great companion book to the LOTR, Hobbit etc. A must for Tolkien fans.

I borrowed this book from the library a few times whilst reading The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, LOTR and other Tolkien's works and as I tend too re-read them regularly purchasing my own copy was a must.
It is a book of sketched maps and with the relevant map displayed seems too add extra realism too the tale being read.
Karen Wynn has really excelled herself. There is a brief synopsis before each map and she covers such subjects as terrain, climate, languages and much more.Read full review...

Excellent book

An excellent book to explore middle earth that bit more. Fantastic price too

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: webuybooks

Fantastic book

Really special if you love Tolkien, cartography and lore

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: musicmagpie

Brilliant

A must for Tolkien fans brilliant insight

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: worldofbooks08

Very good.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: worldofbooks08

Great companion to ALL the Tolkein books, whether a newbie or die hard fan!

I bought the guide because I was looking to get into the LOTR novels - indeed I had already begun reading both The Hobbit and the Fellowship of the Ring - but I found it difficult to keep up with place names and trying to picture what Tolkein describes in such epic detail. Mostly I was getting confused between what was a character's name and what was a place name.
The reason that I chose this particular guide/map was because I'd done some reading around and it seemed to be the most comprehensive and made up from Tolkein's original notes. To me, author authenticity is important.
I would DEFINATELY reccomend the guide to anyone - from those who are LOTR virgins to the die hard fans. As the books depict physical (and ovc mental also) journeys it is really helpful to be able to track where they are on the maps whilst reading. The book contains maps related to each of the books, including the Histories of Middle Earth/ the Simillarion but tbh I can't comment on those aspects in relation to the original books because I haven't read them. What I can say is that reading through the maps and the small descriptions of events/significance of the places that the author provides with each map is entertaining and insightful on it's own, without reading the long volumes of the histories.
In relation to The Hobbit & LOTR this book is a gem. The maps really help you envision what Tolkein depicts, and you definately become a little in awe of his amazing imagination! The author/mapographer(?) has done a great job in producing high quality images with descriptions just concise enough to remind you what goes on at each part of the story, in the places shown on the maps.
Those being the positives of the book, it would not be appropriate to glaze over any negatives. I would say that personally I found the amount of maps etc on the events before the Third Age (where the Hobbit begins), although for a disadvantage being 'too' thorough is not a particularly bad thing - there are definitely potentially worse things to be said about a book/set of maps. A final criticism would be that the book could benefit from being hardback, although I haven't actually checked if that's available. If so, I'd say buy that version.
In summary I give this book a wholly positive review. The maps will satisfy newbies and uber-fans alike, and I would recommend buying this if you are looking to get into the books. Read along with the maps as you are reading the novels, just don't read ahead it might ruin any plot twists!! :-). Also - don't buy an expensive version. 'Used' books in my experience are the way forward - they wouldn't sell it to you if it wasn't in good condition, and invade mine looks brand new. I got it for around £6.
Happy reading! From a 17/f/england.Read full review...