I remember poring over the endpapers of my Lord of the Rings books when I read them as a nipper. Somehow, those hand-drawn maps, with their extended Italicised serif font and small illustrations helped to bring the stories even more to life for me. And indeed, I have since discovered that Tolkien actually drew the maps first, as a guide to help him write his complex novels. He raced with his son, Christopher, to get them redrawn and inked in time to use in the publication. The originals had become worn and torn over many years of use in the writing process. It took over a decade for The Lord of the Rings trilogy to be completed.
If those maps are as evocative to you as they are for me, then you will LOVE Fantasy World Maps. They have just completed a Shropshire map in the LOTR fantasy style. Gathering inspiration from across social media, prominent places are marked, along with the myth and folklore of the county. It is a beautiful thing. I definitely need to do a bit of reading to find out the story of the Wroxeter Werewolf!
In this case, a picture definitely speaks a thousand words, so there’s not a lot else I can say. However, I felt compelled to post about it so that more people can share that little bit of joy sparked by seeing a wonderful craftsperson in action.
🐐 Buy the print from Fantasy World Maps on Etsy. There is more than just Shropshire available!
This isn’t a sponsored post, I wrote about this product because I saw it and I liked it. Thanks to Fantasy World Maps for giving me permission to use their image.