 Dust wrapper, first edition | |
| Author | Karen Wynn Fonstad |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Karen Wynn Fonstad |
| Cover artist | Alan Lee (Second edition) |
| Subject | Middle-earth |
| Genre | Atlas |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
Publication date | 1981 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 190 (210 with notes) |
| ISBN | 0-395-53516-6 |
| OCLC | 24142309 |
| 823/.912 20 | |
| LC Class | G3122.M5 F6 1991 |
The Atlas of Middle-earth byKaren Wynn Fonstad is anatlas ofJ. R. R. Tolkien'sfictional realm ofMiddle-earth.[1][2] It was published in 1981, following Tolkien's major worksThe Hobbit,The Lord of the Rings, andThe Silmarillion. It provides many maps at different levels of detail, from whole lands to cities and individual buildings, and of major events like theBattle of the Pelennor Fields. The maps are grouped by period, namely theFirst, Second, and Third Ages of Middle-earth, with chapters onThe Hobbit andThe Lord of the Rings. A final chapter looks at geographic themes such as climate, vegetation, population, and languages around Middle-earth.
The atlas has been warmly received by Tolkien scholars, who have called it both authorized and magisterial, providing in particular a comprehensive set of thematic maps of Middle-earth.
Karen Wynn Fonstad earned a master's degree in Geography, specializing incartography, from theUniversity of Oklahoma, and worked as Director of Cartographic Services at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Oshkosh before she focused on raising children and writing atlases of fictional worlds.[3][2]
Middle-earth is the fictional world created by the philologist and fantasy authorJ. R. R. Tolkien and presented in his bestselling booksThe Hobbit (1937) andThe Lord of the Rings (1954–1955).[4]Tolkien provided overview maps for each book.[5]
The Atlas of Middle-earth was first published in hardback byHoughton Mifflin in the United States in 1981. A revised and updated second edition was published in 1991, afterChristopher Tolkien had edited and published eight volumes ofThe History of Middle-earth following his father's death.HarperCollins republished the revised edition in London in 1994, reprinting it in 1999, 2016, and 2017.[6]
The Atlas of Middle-earth provides many detailed maps of the lands described in Tolkien's books. The maps are treated as if they are of real landscapes, drawn according to the rules of a real atlas. For each area the history of the land is taken into account, as well as geography on a larger scale; from there maps are drawn.[7] Fonstad's discussion includes suggestions as to the geology that could explain various formations, and points that are contradictory between multiple accounts. Fonstad explains in the atlas, and in her article about it, how she came to decide on such matters. For example, she compares the westernEmyn Muil with its two ridges tothe Weald with its pair of inward-facing downs (ananticline).[2]
City maps and floor plans for important buildings are included. For example, the city ofMinas Tirith is mapped on a single page, the main map giving a perspective view of the whole city, while three insets show the nearly-circular plan of the city, a plan of the citadel in the innermost circle, and a labelled cutaway drawing of the White Tower at the centre of the citadel. A page of text describes the city's geography.[8] Further maps are given of significant events, such as theBattle of the Pelennor Fields in front of Minas Tirith.[9]
The maps are organised first by period, with chapters on theFirst, Second, and Third Ages of Middle-earth.[10] A chapter covers regional maps, and a short chapter focuses onThe Hobbit.[11] A major chapter follows the action inThe Lord of the Rings.[12] The book ends with a chapter of thematic maps, illustrating the landforms, climate,vegetation,population, andlanguages of Middle-earth.[13]
The Tolkien scholarVerlyn Flieger recorded that she persuaded Fonstad to write an account forTolkien Studies of how she researched and created the maps for herAtlas of Middle-earth. Fonstad, while seriously ill, accordingly prepared her last article, "Writing 'TO' the Map" in her final months. Flieger stated "We mourn her passing and we honor her work".[2] The editor ofTolkien Studies,David Bratman, said that the atlas provides historical, geological, and battle maps, with a detailed commentary and explanation of how Fonstad approached the mapping task from the available evidence.[14] Michael Brisbois, also inTolkien Studies, described the atlas as "authorized",[15] while the cartographers Ina Habermann and Nikolaus Kuhn take Fonstad's maps as defining Middle-earth's geography.[16] The Tolkien scholar Luke Shelton called the book the more popular of the two atlases of Middle-earth, the other being Barbara Strachey's more specificJourneys of Frodo. He said the book, while not perfect, "is certainly helpful", not least as it covers the First and Second Ages.[17]
Stentor Danielson, a Tolkien scholar, said that Tolkien did not provide the same "detailed textual history" to contextualise his mapsas he did for his writings. Danielson suggests that this has assisted the tendency among Tolkien's fans to treat his maps as "geographical fact".[7] He called Fonstad's atlas "magisterial",[7] and said that like Tolkien, Fonstad worked from the assumption that the maps, like the texts, "are objective facts" which the cartographer must fully reconcile. He gives as an instance the work that she did to make the journey of Thorin's company inThe Hobbit consistent with the map, something that Tolkien found himself unable to do. Danielson wrote that in addition, Fonstad created "the most comprehensive set" of thematic maps of Middle-earth, presenting geographic data including political boundaries, climate, population density, and the routes of characters or armies.[7]