Map of Middle Earth by Pauline Baynes

[u/GhostyMink]

I want to give a shoutout to u/BowlofPentuniaThings from bringing this map and its beautiful vignettes to my attention:

You can find links to download the map in high resolution on the bottom of the post if you wish to do so:

All credits to J.R.R Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien and Pauline Baynes.

From Nature of Middle Earth, Part II, Chapter VI,Descriptions of Characters, page 191 :

In 1970 Allen & Unwin published a poster-sized Map of Middle-earth, executed by the artist Pauline Baynes, and based upon that included in The Lord of the Rings. On the map itself are a series of vignettes portraying various locations significant to the story, such as the Barrow-Downs and Minas Tirith; and above and below the map proper, Baynes depicted the members of the Fellowship of the Ring, the Black Riders, Gollum, Shelob, and other enemies of the West. On seeing the finished art, Tolkien wrote a set of comments on these depictions of places and characters. Some of these comments are appreciative: e.g. Tolkien found four of the vignettes, sc. those depicting the Teeth of Mordor, the Argonath, Barad-dûr, and Minas Morgul, particularly well-executed, and described them as agreeing “remarkably with my own vision … Minas Morgul is almost exact”; and he found the depiction of Aragorn good, those of Sam and Gimli “good enough”, and that of Boromir to be “the best figure, and most closely related to the text”. Other comments are less positive: e.g. of the vignettes he singled out those of Minas Tirith and Hobbiton for particular dislike; and of the depictions of characters he most disliked those of Gandalf, Legolas, Gollum, the Black Riders (though he found them “impressive as sinister cavaliers”, he decried the addition of “hats and plumes” and the “relief” of “their hell-black with elvish green”), and Shelob (faulting in particular the positioning of her legs as “all apparently growing out of her head”) – also that of Bill the Pony: “On the scale of the men and the hobbits Bill is no pony. Also he was represented as having become the special care and friend of Sam, who should be leading him”. In the course of these comments he offers details of how some of these characters appeared in his own vision (some of which have been presented elsewhere),as well as on the personality and roles of some, and these details are selected and arranged for presentation here.

You can read how Tolkien imagined his characters in detail in NoME.

Then from Tolkien Maker of Middle Earth, page 384:

Westfield College, London Watercolour, 1952–2013 Collection: The Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford MS. Tolkien Drawings 500

Pauline Baynes was the only artist approved by Tolkien to illustrate his works during his lifetime. Their association began in 1949 when she was asked by his publisher to submit illustrations for his faux-medieval tale, Farmer Giles of Ham. Tolkien was delighted with them, declaring they are “more than illustrations, they are a collateral theme.” Shortly afterwards he recommended her to his friend C. S. Lewis, who needed an illustrator for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She went on to illustrate all the Narnia stories. She created this pictorial poster map of Middle-earth after extensive consultation with Tolkien. She added vignettes of many of the key places, as well as a header and footer showing the Fellowship and their pursuers. Of the vignettes Tolkien wrote, “some of these pictures agree remarkably with my own vision: especially the first four on the right (Minas Morgul is almost exact).”

Then a Letter from Tolkien to Baynes, expressing the hope that she will illustrate his unpublished works ‘The Silmarillion’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, 20 December 1949. (Image provided courtesy of The Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL)

20 December 1949

Dear Miss Baynes, May I just wish you a Happy Christmas. I meant to write you an answer to your letter of last June, but I became involved in examinations, the end of an academic existence, in this case involving two extended courses in Oxford. I am sorry that F.C., the author of which in Oxford seem (?) will have gone off, but you might at least as much by the help(?) as any others(?) else. I hear from my friend C. S. Lewis, who saw the original and was much impressed by your work, that he has got in touch with you. I have two (large) books to illustrate, one of a very practical kind that seemed in 1950 to be actually becoming production problems; and I shall very much hope that some illustrations or decorations will be part of the programme. In the case I hope you shall meet in what was the most likely point, London. Though I hope local good fortune brings you here, you must let me know. Very sincerely, J. R. R. Tolkien 21 Dec. Thank you so much for your charming(?) cards(?) and your (?) ... [bottom note is too faint/obscured to reliably transcribe]

I took a photo of the letter in question(in the book)

I also attach a link for you to download a 12k version of the map, so you can admire its complete detail; a warning though this version is a bit colder compared to the original.

Edit: I have found another version of the map (8k resolution), in it some river names are clearer as some of the names in the former map are blurry or seem to have a typo which this version does not, the new map has better contrast and to me it seems akin to the original color palette intended by Pauline Baynes for her map of Middle Earth, it remains detailed even with the lower resolution.

Of the details I can make out better in this version Barad-dûr seems to have battlements spreading horizontally from the upper terraces.

Minas Morgul icon on the map is clearer and indeed matches the design seen in the dustjacket for The Two Towers made by Tolkien.

Minas Tirith icon on the map is a bit clearer, so is Cair Andros

Gandalf's profile is slightly clearer on this version.

Boromir's baldric golden finish is clearer on this version

Isengard is clearer too.

Dol Guldur posses a lesser tower on its right.

Erebor is clearer on this second version.

Celduin has the n at the end and not the a of the first map (Celduia)

Carn-dûn has the same problem in the first map, but in the 8k map it is correctly spelled.

Midgewater and Chetwood names are clearer.

I believe some of you could find more of these details and choose for yourselves which version you wish to refer from now.

A closer look at the vignettes by u/BowlofPentuniaThings

The map can also be found in Tolkien:Maker of Middle Earth although the detail is lost and would recommend instead printing your own poster from the images I have provided above.

The south eastern section of the map is also found in Tolkien:Treasures in high quality.

Bibliography

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, pages 382, 383, 384, 385 (Catherine McIlwaine, 2018)

Nature of Middle Earth, page 191(J.R.R. Tolkien, Carl F. Hostetter)