J.R.R. Tolkien once wrote: "I wisely started with a map and made the story fit." The Maps of
Middle-earth presents four of Tolkien's iconic maps reimagined and newly updated for this
edition by acclaimed Tolkien artist John Howe and richly decorated with scenes from the
books: Middle-earth a breath-taking panorama of all the locations from Hobbiton to Mordor
that feature in The Lord of the Rings Wilderland a charming evocation of the realm to which
Bilbo journeyed 'there and back again' in The Hobbit Beleriand a lyrical portrayal of the
ancient landscape of the First Age where the great tales of The Silmarillion took place
Númenor an exclusive reproduction of the legendary island described in Unfinished Tales
which was sunk beneath the waves in the Second Age of Middle-earth. The maps are accompanied by
an authoritative text written by Brian Sibley which tells the stories behind The Hobbit The
Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion and gives accounts of how the original maps came into
being. Filled with illustrations by John Howe many of which appear here for the first time
the book also features gazetteers of all the names on each of the four maps. They provide
revealing insights into the significant role each place-name played in the stories including
those of Númenor the island-kingdom once inhabited by Elendil and his sons Isildur and
Anárion ancestors of Aragorn that was sunk in a cataclysmic storm following the treacherous
deeds of Sauron as told in Of the Rings of Power in The Silmarillion .
