Starting November 2, the Field Museum in Chicago is hosting an exhibit that will include some of J.R.R. Tolkien’s maps and writing. Specifically, included will be Thror’s Map from The Hobbit, Topographical View of Minas Tirith from The Return of the King, and Notes on Times and Distances by J.R.R. Tolkien (all of the John P. Raynor, S.J. Library, Marquette University).

From clay tablets to sea charts, from satellite navigation systems to sketches of worlds real and imagined—maps are much more than wayfinding. Travel through landscapes of time and space, science and imagination, in a rare exhibition of more than 100 of the world’s greatest maps. Explore high-tech interactive displays, and see original works by Ptolemy, Leonardo da Vinci, J.R.R. Tolkien, and many others. You’ll learn how early maps were made, see how the technology changed over centuries, and discover the latest advances in digital map-making. [More]

NEW YORK — Harry vs. Frodo. Lucy vs. Lyra. We don’t normally think of classic fantasy series as being pit against one another, because despite their differences, they have so much in common. Most of them are about little people (be they children or Hobbits) caught up in a war of good versus evil that requires a singular sacrifice to save the world, often with a bit of biblical allegory thrown in for good measure. But even if “Harry Potter,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “His Dark Materials” were all put on the same bookshelf, they’re not all friends, as “Materials” author Philip Pullman explained during his Times Talks appearance Tuesday. Continue reading “‘His Dark Materials’ Writer Philip Pullman Takes ‘Narnia,’ ‘Lord Of The Rings’ To Task”

Exploring Middle-earth: Barad GúlaranVanessa “Saffron” Price, Online Community Representative for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, writes: Players wanting their first glimpse of a true Ent will wish to visit the shadowy forests of Evendim, and tour the tranquil and ancient grove called the Eavespires! Exploring Middle-earth: Eavespires