The links are grouped as follows:

• General Tolkien info / links pages
• Lord of the Rings movie sites
• Middle-earth role play
• 3D Middle-earth models and maps
• 3D resources
• Tolkien and other fonts
• Other sites of interest

Not everything here is strictly about Tolkien or Middle-earth but all relate in one way or another to the ideas & projects presented at alt-tolkien.com. Links will open in a new window.

General Tolkien info / link pages

• The Tolkien Trail
  Benjamin Milder & Joshua Truitt have created something refreshing and precious in the "Tolkien Trail". In Benjamin's own words, "It's an interactive tour of Middle-earth with Gandalf as your guide". The Trail is beautifully illustrated with original hand-painted illustrations. Along the way you will find fan fiction, music, pictures - also the Entmoot which must be one of the most active discussion boards around.

• The Lowest Quality Site on the Web!
  That's how Keyser Soze introduces his own site. Nicely spruced up images from the movie trailers. Discussion boards. Bags of potential.

• LotR webring
  Listing of sites in the Lord of the Rings web ring

• Tolkien archives
  Beautifully designed and up to date, this site has a range of biographical, race history and essays, also image and audio libraries. Webmaster Jeremiah Lewis responded with courtesy (and by return) to my request to include this site on his lists. Top marks.

• The Encyclopedia of Arda
  A remarkable, long-term project by Mark Fisher. Truly "encyclopedic" in scale and vision. People, places, calendars, timelines, 3d views and maps.

• Cabed-en-Aras
  This has to be the best-looking Tolkien site I have come across but there is a lot of content too behind the stylish front page. Stian Ulvan had Arda Online on the links page before I'd even asked!

• Tolkien Enterprises
  "Tolkien Enterprises licenses the names and likenesses of the fanciful characters, places, things and events for use as trademarks and service marks in connection with various lines of merchandise." This site has one of the cleanest looks going (though the page width is configured too wide to view without scrolling left-right). Careful use of great graphics, many taken from Terry Donaldson's Lord of the Rings Tarot Deck. Worth visiting for these alone.

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Lord of the Rings movie sites

• The One Ring
  There are a lot of sites dedicated to the LotR movies. This is my favourite.

• The Wrong Ring
  ... and this is the funniest.

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Middle-earth role play

• Dagorhir Battle Games
  Sean Richey is webmaster for Dagorhir Battle Games, a Tolkien/Dark Age-based Live Action War Gaming Society with the catchy tag line "You've read the book - we live it!"

• Other Hands
  This well designed site is hosted by Chris Seeman, editor of Other Hands, the international journal of Middle-earth role play gaming. This is the first and only place to visit for role play in Tolkien's realm, including Iron Crown Enterprises' MERP line.

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3D Middle-earth models & maps

• The Hobbit Hole
  In the words of webmaster Michael Shur: The VMP (The Virtual Middle-earth Project) is my attempt to bring to life the land of Middle-earth which Tolkien created in his wonderful LotR trilogy. The purpose of this project is for fans to able to finally see Tolkien's world as if they were truly there.
  In my own words: this site hosts the best virtual reality interpretations of Middle-earth I have yet seen.

• 3D map of Middle-earth
  A little slow loading but worth the wait. Peder Langlo's accomplished web site has lots on offer, including his 3D map of Middle-earth (select "Art" from the left hand menu).

• Middle-earth Interactive Map
  This site has a zoomable version of the north-western Middle-earth (LotR) map.

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3D graphical / terrain resources

• 3D Millennium
  Visit 3D Millennium for tons of 3D Textures, models, tutorials and lots of other free stuff.

• World Construction Set
  Visit 3D Nature (formerly Questar Productions), home of the remarkable terrain modelling application World Construction Set. You can learn all about the latest versions, order an information pack and join the official WCS email discussion group. All highly recommended. You can see some of my own WCS images in the Merrill Valley gallery.

• WCS tutorials
  This site has fully worked and illustrated tutorials covering the basics of 3D Nature's World Construction Set. Check this one out if you are even remotely thinking of venturing into terrain creation, or want an insight into how WCS works. There are also tutorials for Bryce V2, World Builder V1 and Poser V1. I cannot recommend this site highly enough.

• Animatek's World Builder
  I haven't tried World Builder myself but this classy site promises ... well, the world. Check the gallery for amazing mpg movies and stills.

• Vue D'esprit
  This site may not be the classiest in the world, but oh, the pictures! Vue D'esprit is (yet!) another terrain modeller, put to remarkable use by Guitta Bertault. The links promise a Vue2 tutorial, though I've not explored that far.

• Plant Studio
  This brilliant little application generates realistic plants and shrubs (not trees). A wizard guides you through the creation process - then you just sit back and watch your very own triffid sprout, grow and bloom. Fascinating, infinitely tweakable and the final images (BMP or DXF) can be used in other graphical and landscape applications. A fully working shareware version can be downloaded.

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Tolkien and other fonts

• 
  Dan Smith's fantasy fonts for Windows
  Perhaps the best known site for Tolkien-related fonts but you will also find Celtic knotwork fonts and links to "Celtic" music.

• 
  Coron's sources of fonts
  A wide-ranging collection of Tolkien, fantasy, runic, hieroglyphic and esoteric fonts from various sources. If you need a "weird font" check here first!

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Other sites of interest

• Middle Earth Flies
  Unique site by Kent Krumvieda: "Middle Earth Flies - Celebrating the art of fly tying with tales of fishing in JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth [sic]." Kent's on-going Fishing Journal story is highly recommended.

• CeltiCottage
  Beautifully crafted site selling a wide range of "Celtic" themed goods. Also the "Elvish Love Ring" (silver or gold band with Tengwar love inscription). Probably a safer bet for your wedding day than a replica of the One Ring!

• Elven Blue
  Great site by Elenaria Cúthalion on things Elven. Elf-fan fiction. A brief discussion of how Elves are treated in the works of JRR Tolkien, K Kerr, T Brook and M Weis / T Hickman. Elf-related links page and a profile of the site's creator.

• Antony Swithin's Rockall
  Antony Swithin is the pen-name of Prof William A.S. Sarjeant, Middle-earth Reunion member and author of the Rockall series of novels The Perilous Quest for Lyonesse. At this beautifully designed site you can explore the history, geography, governance and natural history of Rockall and read the entire text of the first book, Princes of Sandastre online.

• The Tolkien Fanfiction Archive
  Best fanfiction site I have come across to date (alt-tolkien.com excepted, of course!), both in terms of style and content.

• The Valaquenta
  Dedicated to the Valaquenta and associated texts this is a specialist site without equal. Visit it now.

• Donna Hutchings' Collection
  MeRS member Donna Hutchings puts her X-files collection online.

• Hobbit puzzle
  Charming and deceptively tricky Hobbit and barrel puzzle coded in JAVA by MeRS member Peder Langlo.

• Walking Tree Publishers
  Run by the Swiss Tolkien Society Eredain, this is a very important site, publishing "books and other media related to Tolkien's sub-creation".

• Mithril miniatures
  Visit the home of Mithril Miniatures, makers of miniature figures from Middle-earth. You name it/him/her and Mithril have probably modelled them! Nice graphics plus background information.

• N-Light Graphics
  At the moment this site is being redeveloped, but go to the Gallery to see the best 3D terrain image I have ever come across (the other one isn't bad either!), rendered solely using World Construction Set V4.55.

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