Just came across this site which tells why & how Christopher Tolkien's original LotR maps came to be replaced
http://www.tolkienmaps.com/tolkienmapsstory.html
Its another interesting example of a change to the book which has occurred since the author's death - we saw minor changes all during Tolkien's lifetime, made by the author himself, & then of course we had the more comprehensive Second Edition alterations (which was brought about as a result of the Ace Books controversy), at which point the long promised Index appeared in RotK, but there have also been changes - like the new map - which have occurred since his death. Most important of these has been the 50th Anniversary text, which included not just 300-400 changes (
mostly minor) to the text itself, but also a brand new index by the editors Wayne Hammond & Christina Scull.
Mind you, not everyone has been entirely happy with the posthumous changes (I started a thread
http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=11338 on this subject some time back, & the missus started another on Christopher Tolkien's role as Literary Executor of his father's work - including the following excerpt from JRR Tolkien's will:
Quote:
’Upon Trust to allow my son Christopher full access to the same* in order that he may act as my Literary Executor with full power to publish edit alter rewrite or complete any work of mine which may be unpublished at my death or to destroy the whole or any part or parts of any such unpublished works as he in his absolute discretion may think fit and subject thereto’
*unpublished works
|
http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=13179)
I also note that John Rateliff, in his 2 volume 'History of the Hobbit' states that he used the Alan Lee illustrated de-luxe edition as a reference 'because it pre-dates certain post-authorial changes' - now I don't know if the reason for that comment is simply personal preference or an actual disapproval of such changes, but its interesting that not everyone simply accepts the changes made to the text since Tolkien's death - even the ones authorised by Christopher Tolkien - effectively with his father's approval.