"A Map of Middle-earth" is either of two colour posters by different artists,Barbara Remington andPauline Baynes. Adapted fromTolkien's maps, they depict thenorth-western region of the fictional continent ofMiddle-earth. They were published in 1965 and 1970 by the American and British publishers ofJ. R. R. Tolkien's bookThe Lord of the Rings. The poster map by Baynes has been described as "iconic".[1]
All maps ofMiddle-earth derive ultimately fromJ. R. R. Tolkien's own working maps, which he constantly annotated over the years, whether in English or inElvish. He was unable to find the time to bring them into a presentable state in time for the publication ofThe Lord of the Rings.[2][3] The task was delegated to his sonChristopher.[3] Neither of the maps known as "A Map of Middle-earth" cover the whole continent of Middle-earth; instead they portray thenorth-western region of that continent at the end of theThird Age, where the story ofThe Lord of the Rings takes place.
Jonathan Crowe, writing on TOR.com, describes Christopher Tolkien's cartography as hugely influential on fantasy literature, setting the norm for "epic fantasy novels" which "weresupposed to come with maps".[3]
The earlier poster, signed "BRem" (Barbara Remington), was published in 1965 byBallantine Books.[4] It features border images adapted from Remington's cover designs for the 1965 Ballantine paperback edition ofThe Lord of the Rings. Remington had not read the novel before designing the cover illustrations.[5]
The second version, byPauline Baynes, was published in 1970 byGeorge Allen & Unwin[6] in the UK and byBallantine Books in the USA. It features ten small inset illustrations of important locations from the story. The poster is framed at the top by a row of nine figures representing themembers of the "Fellowship of the Ring" setting out on their quest. At the bottom is an array of antagonists from the novel, including the nineBlack Riders,Gollum,Shelob, and variousOrcs. The poster has become iconic.[1] Tolkien liked Baynes's illustrative style to an extent, butfelt that it was too decorative to be used directly to illustrate the narrative ofThe Lord of the Rings.[7][8] He was however pleased with at least some of her vignettes on the poster map.[9]
Baynes's poster map helped to make the capital letter-onlyUncial script the standard for Middle-earth maps.[3]
In 1971, Baynes created another map for Allen and Unwin, entitledThere and Back Again: A Map of Bilbo's Journey Through Eriador and Rhovanion. It covers Bilbo's complete journey inThe Hobbit, including the parts west of the Misty Mountains, and was based on Tolkien's map of Middle-earth.[10]
