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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSee the Sketches J.R.R. Tolkien Used to Build Middle-Earth
Source: Wired
The more complicated answer is that in addition to writing the story, he drew it. The many maps and sketches he made while drafting The Lord of the Rings informed his storytelling, allowing him to test narrative ideas and illustrate scenes he needed to capture in words. For Tolkien, the art of writing and the art of drawing were inextricably intertwined.
In the book The Art of The Lord of the Rings, we see how, and why.
The oversized tome by renowned Tolkien scholars Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull arrives next week to mark the 60th anniversary of the trilogy. It contains more than 180 sketches, diagrams, maps, inscriptions, and trial runs of his invented alphabets, all related to The Lord of the Rings and nearly 100 of which are just now being seen for the first time.
Read more: http://www.wired.com/2015/10/see-jrr-tolkien-lord-of-the-rings-middle-earth-illustrations-for-first-time/
shenmue
(38,506 posts)Solly Mack
(90,764 posts)TexasProgresive
(12,157 posts)The Art of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Hardcover October 13, 2015
by J.R.R. Tolkien (Author), Christina Scull (Editor), Wayne G. Hammond (Editor)
#1 Best Sellerin Science Fiction History & Criticism
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)Martin Eden
(12,864 posts)If you're interested in how it was formed and the long history leading up to The Lord of the Rings, read The Silmarillion if you haven't already.
NewJeffCT
(56,828 posts)I tried it a few times when I was in my teens and early 20s and gave up. It's still a tough read, IMO. A lot of it reads like a "History of Middle Earth" textbook. Still, it is a fascinating history.
Martin Eden
(12,864 posts)Written in a very different style than the LotR triology, it was pieced together from may of Tolkein's writings over a period of decades -- which were written before LotR. The Simarillion is essentially the bible of Middle Earth and if you can get past how it's structured, the tales therein are just as (if not more) vital and memorable than the trilogy. I appreciated the book more the 2nd time I read it.
A good understanding of Middle Earth is not possible without the Silmarillion.
dembeatle
(9 posts)In 1966, I first read the Hobbit, at age 13.
I believe I've read the trilogy well over 100 times, easily.
I've always liked the paintings of the Hildebrandt Brothers.
I'm interested in this new book.
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)Off the top of my head I can only think of William Blake