more a summary than an atlas, but handy to have an outline of Middle Earth in one book. ( )

Beautiful art, but not much else here. And unfortunately, much of it looks just like the movies depict the character/event. It's difficult to capture Silmarillion, Hobbit, AND Lord of the Rings in a short, small paperback book. Day, to his credit, does tell us in the introduction that this book may help convince a movie-seer to read the books, or read another Tolkien book. The descriptions of the events and characters barely scratch the surface. Further, some reviewers have called into question the accuracy of some of the information in the book. Regrettably, this is not for serious Tolkien fans. ( )

David Day’s An Atlas of Tolkien builds upon the work he began in his Tolkien Bestiary to work as a guidebook to J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. Though Day describes events from The Silmarillion through The Hobbit and finally Lord of the Rings, he does so only as necessary to explain matters of time and space in describing locations. Like his previous work, Day commissioned artists to create paintings illustrating Tolkien’s world. The volume works well as a companion and guide to Tolkien’s work, particularly as a reference for those looking to keep track of events during The Silmarillion or to refresh their memories about those events in Lord of the Rings which reference The Silmarillion. The contributing artists – Ivan Allen, John Blanche, Sally Davies, Michael Foreman, Linda Garland, Melvin Grant, David Kearney, Ian Miller, Andrew Mockett, Lidia Postma, and others – imbue the work with visual references as epic as the texts that inspired them while giving distinctive styles to each of the places and events in question. Day’s Atlas of Tolkien succeeds as a guidebook for fans while the binding of this edition gives it the appearance of a work that could exist in-universe. ( )

This isn't the type of ATLAS that has maps in it. This is the type of atlas that has tables, illustrations, some maps, charts and a bit of superficial half-summaries of places and events under headings. This book is pretty but there is nothing of substance in the contents. If you haven't read the Silmarillion, or the Appendices to the Lord of the Rings you will be lost and confused. If you have read those works, then this book will provide nothing new. It isn't particularly useful as a guide either. David Day also tends to be liberal with his interpretation of some aspects Tolkien's works.

If you want maps, try Atlas of Tolkien's Middle-Earth by Karen Wunn Fonstad and Journeys of Frodo: An Atlas of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings by barbara Strachey.

Also interesting is Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen and
Making of Middle-Earth by Christopher A Snyder. ( )

David Day's Atlas of Tolkein is really an impressive collection of art work in a compacted retelling of the creation & development of Tolkein's imaginary world. The author points out that the book is more about the retelling of the shaping & reshaping of Tolkein's Middle Earth through the eyes of the artist. As the reader surveys the work, it is exactly that. If you are expecting the retelling of the Tolkein stories, you will need to read the stories elsewhere. Here is a good addition to the Tolkein literature which will enhance, from an artistic view, the reader's interest in the Tolkein genre. ( )