A collection of illustrations by professional and amateur artists inspired by the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, assembled in honour of Steve Guildford, a very close friend of mine who passed away in 1988 at the age of 27.
Steve was a dedicated student of Tolkien's works and an active and long-standing member of the Tolkien Society. His knowledge of the Tolkien universe was encyclopaedic. Above all, he was a great guy.
I've tried to select images that I think Steve would have liked, as well as my own personal favourites. I'm also including several international book cover designs.
I'm not including any images from the Peter Jackson films, and have tried to avoid artworks influenced by them (although I do love the films).
Finally, in case you're not familiar with the phrase, "Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo" is a Quenya greeting meaning "a star shines on the hour of our meeting".