Pauline Baynes
 

Just seen on another forum that Pauline Baynes has recently died http://www.lotrplaza.com/forum/forum...asp?TID=228268.

Pauline's illustrations of Tolkien's Farmer Giles of Ham, AoTB & particularly Smith of Wooton Major (as well as that famous LotR cover & poster maps & Bilbo's Last Song) have always seemed to me particularly beautiful & evocative of Tolkien's world.

Very sad.

Very said indeed, davem. I've always appreciated Baynes' work, particularly in Farmer Giles of Ham and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, with her medievally-influenced illustrations.

And her delightful Narnia illustrations, too.
I'm sorry to hear this.

Some interesting things here, including Pauline Baynes' very contrasting views of Tolkien and Lewis...(favourable to Tolkien, incidentally...)
http://personal.bgsu.edu/~edwards/baynes.html

So sad that many readers who will now come to Giles, AoTB, & especially Smith, will do so through the new combined edition (along with Niggle & Roverandom) out in October with illustrations by Alan Lee http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/...lous_Realm.php. While I'm sure Lee's illustrations will be beautiful in themselves, Smith of Wooton Major in particular should always have the Baynes illustrations.

And here's her beautiful poster for Bilbo's Last Song. Somehow appropriate. http://www.tolkienbooks.net/php/deta...eference=61200,

The gifts of women
 

That's a beautiful poster, davem, full of exquisite detail about Middle-earth--the animals in the tree--that some of the more famous illustrators don't capture. Thanks for linking to it.

And thanks to Lalaith for posting that reminiscence of Baynes.

Via the otehr forum I've found this link to an obituary of Pauline by Brian Sibley (illustrated with some of her beautiful pictures http://briansibleysblog.blogspot.com...ia-middle.html

Pauline Baynes illustrated a large part of my childhood. I am sorry she didn't benefit as much as she should have done from her work.

Thank you, Davem. So very sorry to hear this. I have been collecting the books Ms. Baynes illustrated for many years. Actually I started when I was in my teens. I not only love her Tolkien illustrations, but also her renditions of the Arabian Nights.

Several years ago she was involved with a fundraiser for an animal charity near her home and I was fortunate to acquire one of her signed copies of Bilbo's Last Song. It is one of my favorites.

Pauline's Obituary in today's Independent (also by Brian Sibley) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ob...th-886121.html

Child,

Can I ask you for a bibliography of sorts?

Mith, your statement that Pauline Baynes illustrated your childhood rang very true with me.

Another Obituary
 

Telegraph this time:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obit...ne-Baynes.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00cw0yw

And an audio obit - available for 1 week only. The part on Baynes featuring Brian Sibley starts at 21.40

Dang. I liked her stuff.

Kingdom of heaven to her and all that.