Tolkein Case Study

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Map shows Italian city inspired Tolkein town A map of Tolkeins Middle Earth, unearthed inside an old copy on Lord of the Rings in Oxford reveals that Tolkein used the Italian city of Ravenna as the basis for one of the most important locations of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The map was found inside a copy of the Trilogy which once belonged to the illustrator Pauline Baynes, who collaborated with Tolkein to produce a map of middle earth for the publishing house Allen & Unwin in 1970. Tolkein's anotations in green ink and pencil on the Map 16.5 by 18.5 centimeter map make references to several real cities and towns. Hobbiton, the fictional home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins “is assumed to be at the latitude of Oxford,” while “The [Italian]