Pauline Baynes was the only artist approved by Tolkien to illustrate this works during his lifetime. After close consultation with the author she created this pictorial poster-map of Middle-earth for readers of The Lord of the Rings. Unbeknown to him 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 later wrote, 'some of these pictures agree remarkably with my own vision: especially the first four on the right (Minas Morgul is almost exact)'.

Credit: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. Reproduced with kind permission for the Bodleian Libraries exhibitionTolkien: Maker of Middle-earth.