The Map Book - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802714749 ISBN 13: 9780802714749

Publisher: Walker Books, 2006

Synopsis

'Journey over all the universe in a map, without the expense and fatigue of traveling, without suffering the inconveniences of heat, cold, hunger, and thirst.' --Miguel de Cervantes, in Don Quixote

From the earliest of times, maps have fired our imaginations and helped us make sense of our world, from the global to the very local. Head of Map Collections at the British Library, Peter Barber has here compiled an historic and lavish atlas, charting the progress of civilization as our knowledge of the world expanded. Simply organized as a progression through time, The Map Book collects some 175 maps that span four millennia - from the famed prehistoric Bedolina (Italy) incision in rock from around 1500 B.C. to the most modern, digitally enhanced rendering. Many of the maos are beautiful works of art in their own right. From Europe to the Americas, Africa to Asia, north to south, there are maps of oceans and continents charted by heroic adventurers sailing into the unknown, as accounts spread of new discoveries, shadowy continents begin to appear n the margins of the world, often labeled 'unknown lands.' Other maps had a more practical use: some demarcated national boundaries or individual plots of land; military plans depicted enemy positions; propaganda treatises showed one country or faction at an advantage over others.

So much history resides in each map--cultural, mythological, navigational--expressing the unlimited extent of human imagination. This is captured in the accompanying texts--mini essays by leading map historians--that are as vivid and insightful as the maps themselves. They make The Map Book as much a volume to be read as to be visually admired.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Barber trained as a diplomatic historian. He has published extensively on medieval world maps, and on map use and the relationship between mapping and government in the early modern period. In addition to being Head of Map Collections at the British Library, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, and an honorary editorial board member of Mapforum.

Review

'offers a cultural insight that cannot be recommended too highly.' -- Andro Linklater The Spectator 'a fascinating collection' WANDERLUST 'this splendid book' -- Michael Kerrigan THE SCOTSMAN 'this fascinating, beautiful, lovingly-produced coffe-table book' -- Beatrice Sant HERITAGE 'a superbly illustrated and fascinating celebration of the map in its myriad forms over time.' TRAVELLER 'this book is immensely enriches by the accompanying explanatory text' -- Rosita Boland THE IRISH TIMES

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0802714749
• ISBN 13: 9780802714749
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 360
• Editor: Barber Peter