1976 Aquila / Janoff Pictorial Map of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth

This is an extremely rare 1976 map of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth drawn by Larry Jannoff and Nicklas Aquila Jr. The map can be considered 'Fan Art' as it was neither commissioned by or drawn in conjunction with Tolkien or his publishers. Nonetheless, it followed closely on the Ballentine paperback release of the Lord of the Rings and is considered one of the better and rarer bits of Tolkienana.

A Closer Look

The map itself follows closely the one tipped into early editions of the Lord of the Rings. The surrounding artwork, however, includes colorful pictorial elements from the books. A hobbit (Bilbo?) relaxing next to a hobbit hole with a pipe. Beorn the war-bear looks on with his axe. Gandalf hold aloft this staff and looks over the Western Sea towards Eriador. Below him, goblins and a warg lurk in Mirkwood. At right, we recognize Smaug atop his mountain of treasure, the Nazgul, Saruman with his Palantír, Shelob the spider, Gollum, Frodo and Sam, and Sauron the all-seeing eye himself. The map is bordered, right and left, with Dwarven Runes, and, top and bottom, with a famous Lord of the Rings quote.

Publication History and Census

This map was drawn by Larry Janoff and Nicklas Aquila Jr. and copyrighted in 1976. Janoff was a well-known artist, but Aquila remains mired in obscurity. According to some records, 2500 copies were printed in San Francisco, some 1500 were sold, the remaining 1000 are lost. Today it is quite rare. We see no examples in institutional collections or in the OCLC.