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See the Sketches J.R.R. Tolkien Used To Build Middle-Earth (wired.com)

Esther Schindler writes: In addition to writing the story of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien drew it. The maps and sketches he made while drafting it "informed his storytelling, allowing him to test narrative ideas and illustrate scenes he needed to capture in words," reports Ethan Gilsdorf at Wired. "For Tolkien, the art of writing and the art of drawing were inextricably intertwined."

It's all coming out in a new book, but here we get a sneak preview, along with several cool observations, such as: "If Tolkien's nerdy use of graph paper feels like a secret message to future Dungeons & Dragons players, then so does his 'Plan of Shelob's lair.' Tolkien's map of tunnels stocked with nasties—here, a spider named Shelob—would be right at home in any Dungeon Master's campaign notes. He even marks the place for a classic dungeon crawl feature: 'trap.'"

3 of 48 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Aw fudge. What a let-down by RDW · · Score: 4, Informative

    TFS only has one image

    It's one of these magic new interweb things. You click the arrows at the sides and different pictures appear, like in the Mirror of Galadriel.

  2. Re:Aw fudge. What a let-down by Zumbs · · Score: 4, Informative

    I hit a blank advertising slide between 6 and 7. Also, if you feel the urge to avoid the java script, you can just look at the source - links to all images are there. The caption to the first image is "Map of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor".

    --
    The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head
  3. Re:The Madcap Affair of the Purple Emu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative