J.R.R. Tolkien fans need to know about Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, a new exhibit in Oxford, England containing an incredible collection of papers, paintings, and other archival material from the author’s vast career. If you can’t attend in person, you can pick up the exhibit catalog, a hefty book packed full of gorgeous, fascinating images.
Here’s a little bit more about the book from the publisher, the Bodleian Library:
Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth explores the huge creative endeavor behind Tolkien’s enduring popularity. Lavishly illustrated with three hundred images of his manuscripts, drawings, maps, and letters, the book traces the creative process behind his most famous literary works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion—and reproduces personal photographs and private papers, many of which have never been seen before in print.
We’re thrilled here at io9 to share three exclusive images from the book, starting with Tolkien’s first sketch map of the Shire.
Here’s a watercolor painted by Tolkien for the first American edition of The Hobbit in 1937. You can see Bilbo, made invisible by his very special ring, speaking with Smaug the dragon, who’s lounging across his giant pile of treasure.
In addition to illustrating The Hobbit, Tolkien also designed the binding and the dust jacket, which you can see below. According to the exhibit notes, the author really wanted to use four colors—green, blue, black, and red—but that was deemed too pricey by the publisher. (You can just make out, in the left-hand margin below, the handwritten notation to “ignore red.”)
You can check out all of the images from the exhibition in the official catalog for Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, which has color reproductions of letters both official and personal, photographs, notes, manuscripts, hand-drawn maps, and artwork, among tons of other artifacts—plus detailed explanations contextualizing each piece—packed into its 400 pages.
If you’re anywhere near Oxford, England, you can check out the exhibit in person; it’s free, but you need to get tickets in advance (information on how to do that here). It runs through October 28, 2018 in the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford. Perhaps more convenient for many io9 readers, the exhibit will also be heading to the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City early next year, where you can catch it from January 25 through May 12. (More info here; note that this museum does charge admission.)