The Mapmaker's Quest Depicting New Worlds in Renaissance Europe

2003 Oxford, hardcover with dust jacket, 227 pages, illustrated. The dramatic rise in European mapmaking between 1400 and 1650, attributing it to factors such as the rediscovery of ancient cartographic works like Ptolemy's Geography, the influence of Renaissance art and exploration (particularly by Portugal and Spain), military applications, administrative needs for governing expanding nation-states, and the advent of the printing press. The book highlights how these developments not only transformed maps into tools for power and expansion but also positioned Europe as the global leader in cartography, surpassing earlier leaders like China and Japan, while enabling overseas dominance through precise depictions of new worlds. ISBN 9780192100535 In very good condition.