Middle‑earth Map

A large Middle‑earth map print made in the spirit of a serious physical map, with shaded relief, fine detail, and careful attention to Tolkien’s own geography.

The maps of Middle‑earth that most of us know from the books have always felt both wonderful and incomplete to me. They serve their purpose, and of course they have a beauty of their own, but beside the weight and detail of Tolkien’s stories they can feel a little bare. I wanted to make a map that gave Middle‑earth more of that same weight: something closer in feeling to a National Geographic map, as if this were a real landscape that had been surveyed and studied.

I first began working on a Middle‑earth map in 2014. It quickly became clear that the idea was more difficult than I had expected, and I eventually set it aside. Years later I returned to it and started again from the beginning. This version grew out of that second attempt.

Much of the work was in making the geography feel convincing without turning it into invention. I used many sources while making the map, with Tolkien’s annotated map as the most important authority. I did not add imagined places simply to make the map look richer. The aim was to stay as close as possible to the geography Tolkien gave us, while presenting it with more depth, scale, and physical presence than the familiar printed maps usually allow.

This is not a small reference print, but a map meant to live on the wall: large enough to read from a little distance, and detailed enough to invite closer study. The matte paper helps here. It avoids the hard reflections of glossy prints, so the map remains usable in ordinary rooms, even where the light is not perfect.

This Limited Edition is the finest version of the Middle‑earth Map I make. The cotton paper has a quiet surface and holds fine lines and darker tones beautifully, giving the print a depth that matters when you stand close to it. The Regular Edition of the Middle‑earth Map uses the same artwork at the same size and scale, but on a more economical paper.

I print each Limited Edition myself in my studio in Sweden and check it carefully before it leaves my hands. The edition is limited to 500 prints, signed and numbered.

• Edition: Limited Edition of 500, signed and numbered
• Scale: 1:3,000,000
• Paper: Canson Rag Photographique, 310 gsm, 100% cotton
• Inks: Epson UltraChrome Pro12 pigment inks
• Paper size: 32.6 × 22 in (82.8 × 55.8 cm)
• Image area: 31.1 × 20.5 in (79 × 52 cm)
• Printed by: Rinus, in my own studio in Sweden
• Frame: Not included