Tolkien Calendar 2026

The official Tolkien calendar, this year containing 13 breathtaking paintings inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s three 'Great Tales' of Middle-earth: THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN, BEREN AND LÚTHIEN and THE FALL OF GONDOLIN. Featuring beautiful artwork by Alan Lee, including a selection of stunning new paintings and drawings appearing here for the first time.

The official Tolkien calendar has become an established publishing event, eagerly anticipated by Tolkien fans the world over. Previous Tolkien calendars have become much sought after collector’s items, and this year’s will doubtless be an essential purchase for fans everywhere. Published during Christopher Tolkien's centenary year, it celebrates the peerless stewardship of his father's work.

This year’s calendar showcases 13 full-colour paintings by Alan Lee of scenes from across the First Age of Middle-earth, depicting key moments from the three 'Great Tales' – The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien and The Fall of Gondolin – that were published posthumously by Christopher Tolkien. Together they form the capstone to his unique literary contribution to our appreciation of his father's invented world.

Within these three tales can be found some of the most powerful, dramatic and moving moments within all of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium, in which supreme heroism, tragic love, and profound malevolence unfold against a backdrop of unforgettable settings.

Many of these are sublimely portrayed in Alan Lee's peerless watercolour paintings and pencil drawings, and this portfolio is now enhanced by a selection of truly stunning, brand-new paintings, making this Official Tolkien Calendar an unmissable event. Featuring an insightful introduction by the artist himself, this new Calendar will allow fans to discover the First Age of Middle-earth in greater depth than ever before.

‘How, given little over half a century of work, did one man become the creative equivalent of a people?’ – THE GUARDIAN

‘Demanding to be compared with English mythologies… at times rises to the greatness of true myth’ – FINANCIAL TIMES

‘A creation of singular beauty… magnificent in its best moments’ – WASHINGTON POST

J.R.R. Tolkien was born on 3rd January 1892 in Bloemfontein. After serving in the First World War, Tolkien embarked upon a distinguished academic career. He is, however, best known as the creator of Middle-earth and author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. His books have been translated into 80 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. He was awarded a CBE and an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Oxford University in 1972. He died in 1973 at the age of 81.

John Howe was born in 1957 in Vancouver, Canada. He has illustrated many French children’s books, but is best known for his Tolkien calendars, book jackets, maps and posters and as the author of A Middle-earth Traveller. He was Conceptual Artist on Peter Jackson’s acclaimed Middle-earth movie trilogies, and most recently he has worked on Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power and the Warner Bros. animated film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

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