Bookstore Finds a Rare Map of ‘Middle Earth’ Annotated by Tolkien Inside Copy of ‘Lord of the Rings’

Blackwell’s Rare Books recently very rare find – a map of Middle Earth with annotations made in the hand of author J.R.R. Tolkien. The Oxford bookshop found the map inside a copy of of Lord of the Rings that had once belonged to illustrator Pauline Baynes, who worked with Tolkien and even went on to publish her own Map of Middle Earth in 1970. Blackwell’s has since put the map on display and is currently selling it for £60,000. They are also planning on featuring the map in their next catalogue.

Our #Tolkien map is the centre-piece of a forthcoming catalogue on Pauline Baynes – let us know if you'd like a copy.

— Blackwell Rare Books (@blackwellrare) October 25, 2015

images via Blackwell’s Rare Books

via The Guardian