Ian Brodie is a former Air Force pilot who has become a renowned expert on his native New Zealand. His interest in photography and in The Lord of the Rings led him to write and compile this guide, which was then authorised and embraced by Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema. He is now the official Middle-earth spokesperson for Air New Zealand, the official airline of the movies, and he even has a small walk-on part in The Return of the King.

John Howe was born in 1957 in Vancouver, Canada. After finishing High School, he moved to France in 1976, where he attended the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg, gaining a Diploma in Illustration. Aside from illustrating jackets for numerous Tolkien and other fantasy works he has also illustrated many children's books. He lives in Switzerland with his wife and their son.