Remarkable Maps: 100 Examples of How Cartography Defined, Changed and Stole the World

Square 4to (30.5 x 29 cm), 256 pp. Publisher's cloth with dust jacket (minor shelf wear). Cartography provides remarkable waypoints for understanding changes in different cultures through history, both scientifically and artistically. It can also serve as an expression of political struggle and aspiration. Some maps have even been used as weapons--anyone who doubts this need only trace the bitter history of the Balkans. Some of the maps in this book had devastating consequences, such as the 1885 map of Africa that divided the continent among European colonial powers. Others are simply beautiful, like the ‘Dream Time’ maps of the Australian Aborigines or the brilliantly engraved Dutch maps of the 16th century. Still others are scientifically groundbreaking, such as William Smith’s geological map of England and Wales, which profoundly changed our understanding of geological forces and revolutionized paleontology. The maps explored here include imaginative works, such as the maps of Middle-Earth from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings--arguably the most mapped fictional place ever. Some are sinister, even disturbing, like the Nazi ‘Utopian’ city plan. Each of these maps has its own fascinating story. While presented as a series of extraordinary short stories, they are also organized to illustrate the chronological development of cartography and uncover the scientific and sometimes political context behind them. (From the blurb).…