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I can only emphasis the compliment to Fonstad, The Historical Atlas is one of my favourite pieces of secondary literature on Tolkien’s World.
And yes, the contrast to the “lungs map” could not be greater. I first set my eyes on that ridiculous thing in black and white print in David Day’s “Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopedia” (in the German translation, loan from a public libary, later unhappily I got the book as a gift). Even back then when I had not read more of Tolkien then The Hobbit, LotR and Sil77 I observed how obviously wrong this map was. In some aspects (like the Star shape of Numenor) the Author is not to be blaimed, because the work was really drawn quiet early, when Sil77 was the only source for the First and Second Age. But other aspects like the relative placing of Beleriand and Eriador or the freely placed features in ‘Undaying Lands’ he should have known better. In its over all composition this map skips one very important dimension: time. It draws together every thing that is every mention in all the ages of Arda. This concept could only lead to a worng picture. None the less the map had a lasting influence: Until The Shaping of Middle-Earth was published I think the shape of the western continent was in may maps based more or less on the shape it has in this map.
Eärendil and the Door of Night: It is not like Eärendil standing guard at the portal. He is sailing in Vingilot upon Ilmen, I suppose. And that means he is more or less patrolling all the wide area (nearly a half-globe) of Vaiya where there is no Wall of Night.
Respectfully
Findegil
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