New Tolkien maps will be made by John Howe - West of the Mountains, East of the Sea (04.06.09 by Pieter Collier) - Comments

HarperCollins has already announced it will replace the paperback version of the book, called The Map of tolkien's Middle-earth, which sold more than 100,000 copies when published for the Tolkien Centenary in the 1990s, and out of print for more than five years. My article on this new hardback can be read here: the Road Goes Ever On and On map.

Now HarperCollins has announced they will also republish the other two paperbacks, The Map of tolkien's Beleriand and the map of The Hobbit in this new Harback format. Here is the only info I was able to find so far:

West of the Mountains, East of the Sea
The Map of Tolkien’s Beleriand and the Lands to the North

This enchanting little hardback is an essential companion for any reader journeying through The Silmarillion or The Children of Hurin. Featuring an entertaining text and detailed gazetteer by acclaimed Tolkien author Brian Sibley, this gift edition also contains a stunning fold-out poster-map of the First Age of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

From the publisher:

"Writer and broadcaster Brian Sibley is a foremost expert on The Lord of the Rings (he adapted the novel for the award-winning BBC radio dramatisation in 1980), and here in this clothbound hardback he will take you to the First Age of Middle-earth, many thousands of years before the events chronicled in The Lord of the Rings. This was the setting for the great War of the Jewels, as recounted in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and includes a gazetteer of the many places shown on the full-colour illustrated map which accompanies the book. The Map of Beleriand and the Lands to the North is faithfully reproduced in full colour by world-renowned Tolkien artist John Howe, the conceptual artist employed by Peter Jackson to work on his multi-award winning Lord of The Rings film trilogy, and who is soon to work on Guillermo del Toro’s Hobbit film. The map is based on the original map by Christopher Tolkien. Embellished with heraldic emblems and dramatic scenes from The Silmarillion, it completes the trio of authorized Tolkien maps by John Howe which can be removed for reference or even for framing. Each element in this collector’s package is special; together they provide an enchanting and desirable artefact that will be a prized possession of Tolkien readers of all ages."

There and Back Again
The Map of The Hobbit

The second little hardback is an essential companion for any reader journeying through The Hobbit, perhaps in anticipation of the forthcoming films. Featuring an entertaining text and detailed gazetteer by acclaimed Tolkien author Brian Sibley, this gift edition also contains a removable fold-out poster- map of Wilderland by John Howe.

This book was in the past the most popular of the three Brian Sibley/John Howe collaborations which celebrate tolkien's principal books and include official maps in full colour. It will now be completely revised and updated in a new format made popular by the Philip Pullman books Lyra's Oxford and Once Upon a Time in the North.

Three collector's packages

Each element in the three collector’s packages are special; together they provide an enchanting and desirable artefact that will be a prized possession of Tolkien readers of all ages. All three new editions will be completely revised and updated in a new format made popular by the Philip Pullman books Lyra’s Oxford and Once Upon a Time in the North.

The Road Goes ever On

The third paperback version of this book, called The Map of tolkien's Middle-earth, sold more than 100,000 copies when published for the Tolkien Centenary in the 1990s, and is out of print for more than five years. This one has just been released.

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