These Drawings By J.R.R. Tolkien Bring Middle-Earth To Life
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In conjunction with its "Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth" exhibition, the University of Oxford has released a book of everything Tolkien — his original artwork, correspondences with friends and fans, family photos, early manuscripts, and more. Below, some of the sketches and paintings that show Middle-earth (and beyond!) as Tolkien himself envisioned it.
Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves, July 1937

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937
The Trolls, January 1937

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937
Roverandom illustration

© Tolkien Trust 1992
The final version of Thror's map, 1936

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937
Conversation with Smaug, July 1937

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1937
Annotated map of Middle-earth

© Williams College Oxford Programme & The Tolkien Estate Ltd., 2018
Sketch for The Forest River, July 1937

© The Tolkien Estate Limited 1978
The Shores of Faery

© The Tolkien Trust 1995
The Fire-writing, 1953

© The Tolkien Trust 2015
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth is available now.

University of Oxford
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Arianna Rebolini is the books editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.
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