Smithsonian reports that on June 23 only, Oxford University’s Bodleian Library will exhibit a rare map of Middle Earth, annotated by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Writer Erin Blakemore notes, “The map is as rare as they come—a working copy that documents the author’s collaboration with the first-ever illustrator of his books about Middle-earth, Pauline Baynes. When she set out to illustrate The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Baynes did so with copious input from Tolkien, who was notoriously controlling and exacting about how his imaginary worlds would be portrayed in both print and images.”
Rare Tolkien Map Exhibits June 23
