few questions about the reliablility of M-E guides

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by reverend X

Hello. I'm new here and ive been studying M-E for over a year now and i read all the books years ago and i've begun rereading them. anyways ive been looking for a reliable guide to middle-earth. Barnes and Noble has the illustrated encyclopedia of middle earth by David day, and i know that people despise david days bestiary, so the question is: " Is David Day's Encyclopedia a reliable source? it sure looks good."

How about the atlas of middle earth by Karen somebody. that is considered reliable correct?

David Day has been discredited for the assumptions and inventions that riddle his Middle-earth books. Personally, I would shun his work like the plague. Besides, with the release of Christopher Tolkien's 12 volume History of Middle-earth (often referred to by its acronym HoMe), there is really no need for outside reference material. HoMe is about as authoritative as one can get regarding Middle-earth.

Karen Wynn Fonstad is the cartographer you were referring to who did the Atlas of Middle-earth, which offers fairly representative maps of Middle-earth (even though the author Michael Martinez has found some inaccuracies in her measurements).