Tolkien
Maker of Middle-earth
by Catherine McIlwaine
Last year I heard about the new exhibit Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth coming to The Morgan Library & Museum in New York in the exhibit's only appearance outside of Oxford. It sounded like something amazing to experience, and I tried to figure out how to make a trip to New York work so that I could see it. I looked into flights, babysitters, time off, workload, and many other factors but sadly I just couldn't make the logistics work.
by Catherine McIlwaine
Last year I heard about the new exhibit Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth coming to The Morgan Library & Museum in New York in the exhibit's only appearance outside of Oxford. It sounded like something amazing to experience, and I tried to figure out how to make a trip to New York work so that I could see it. I looked into flights, babysitters, time off, workload, and many other factors but sadly I just couldn't make the logistics work.
Even though I had to give up on the idea of seeing the exhibit in person I was still fascinated by the topic. I've enjoyed the world of Middle-earth since I first cracked open the books in my childhood and recently I've started picking up more of Tolkien's books and books related to Tolkien. Fortunately I discovered that there was an exhibit book that had been produced and so I decided that buying the book and reading through it would be my consolation prize.
The author is Catherine McIlwaine, Tolkien Archivist at the Bodleian Libraries for more than fifteen years, who also curated the exhibit. The book is a massive collection that takes some time to peruse. It opens with a series of essays by Catherine and other Tolkien experts, the titles of which I've listed below. Even if you're already familiar with Tolkien's life you'll find some interesting nuggets and details in these passages.
After the essays the meat of the book begins, the catalogue section that covers the artifacts in the exhibit. There are nine different sections covering different aspects of Tolkien's work and his life. Included are a number of photographs of Tolkien, his family, and other important people in his life. The photograph below is of Tolkien and his brother Hilary in 1905. On the right is Father Francis Morgan, the man who took over responsibility for the boys after their mother died and took care of their upbringing.
Many of the pages also show examples of Tolkien's own artwork. While I enjoy many other artist's versions of Middle-earth, it is especially wonderful to experience Tolkien's direct visions of his masterpiece of secondary creation. While he apparently didn't always think much of his talents I would argue that he was a decent artist. I found his drawings on newspapers and other materials especially fascinating. These are a series of Númenórean patterns that he doodled over the years.
In addition to these patterns Tolkien also made quite a number of paintings. Here you can see his vision of Bilbo talking with Smaug on his hoard and the dragon dying after he is pierced by the arrow of Bard the Bowman.
By far my favorite section of the book was the last section, on maps. As you may or may not know I'm a bit of a geography buff and really enjoy maps. I especially enjoy novels with maps in them and have ever since I read the Lord of the Rings and pored over the map of the third age of Middle-earth. This map is annotated by Tolkien and the artist Pauline Baynes. You can see a larger version of the map itself at this link. Apparently the map was only discovered in 2015, so amazingly it appears as though items may still be uncovered in the archives.
I bought the book in May of 2019, but took my time reading it, letting it stretch out over many months so that I didn't finish it all at once. I did take a break of a couple months in the middle of that time as it sat beneath another stack of books. I finally finished it last month in January 2020. I enjoyed the entire time going through the book and was sad to see it come to an end.
Rating: 5.5 out of 5*
Summary: A fascinating exploration of the life of J. R. R. Tolkien through manuscripts, photographs, artwork, and other exhibit materials.
Technical: Hardcover, 416 pages, £40.00, $65.00§. Includes select bibliography and detailed index. 180 catalogue items and many other additional images included.
*Yes, I'm cheating slightly on the rating. This book is simply too enjoyable to just give a rating of 5 stars.
§I bought it for $41 something on Amazon, but see that it is currently listed for just over $32 as I post this.
~Matt
The author is Catherine McIlwaine, Tolkien Archivist at the Bodleian Libraries for more than fifteen years, who also curated the exhibit. The book is a massive collection that takes some time to peruse. It opens with a series of essays by Catherine and other Tolkien experts, the titles of which I've listed below. Even if you're already familiar with Tolkien's life you'll find some interesting nuggets and details in these passages.
- J. R. R Tolkien: A Biographical Sketch Catherine McIlwaine
- Tolkien and the Inklings John Garth
- Faërie: Tolkien's Perilous Land Verlyn Flieger
- Inventing Elvish Carl F. Hostetter
- Tolkien and 'that noble northern spirit' Tom Shippey
- Tolkien's Visual Art Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
After the essays the meat of the book begins, the catalogue section that covers the artifacts in the exhibit. There are nine different sections covering different aspects of Tolkien's work and his life. Included are a number of photographs of Tolkien, his family, and other important people in his life. The photograph below is of Tolkien and his brother Hilary in 1905. On the right is Father Francis Morgan, the man who took over responsibility for the boys after their mother died and took care of their upbringing.
Many of the pages also show examples of Tolkien's own artwork. While I enjoy many other artist's versions of Middle-earth, it is especially wonderful to experience Tolkien's direct visions of his masterpiece of secondary creation. While he apparently didn't always think much of his talents I would argue that he was a decent artist. I found his drawings on newspapers and other materials especially fascinating. These are a series of Númenórean patterns that he doodled over the years.
In addition to these patterns Tolkien also made quite a number of paintings. Here you can see his vision of Bilbo talking with Smaug on his hoard and the dragon dying after he is pierced by the arrow of Bard the Bowman.
Rating: 5.5 out of 5*
Summary: A fascinating exploration of the life of J. R. R. Tolkien through manuscripts, photographs, artwork, and other exhibit materials.
Technical: Hardcover, 416 pages, £40.00, $65.00§. Includes select bibliography and detailed index. 180 catalogue items and many other additional images included.
*Yes, I'm cheating slightly on the rating. This book is simply too enjoyable to just give a rating of 5 stars.
§I bought it for $41 something on Amazon, but see that it is currently listed for just over $32 as I post this.
~Matt
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