Synopses & Reviews
From Ptolemy's projection of the world--still the basic map after 13 centuries--to Tolkien's cartography of Middle Earth (the most printed guide to a non-existent place ever), each of these maps has its own fascinating story to tell.Escape maps, military maps, cartographic breakthroughs, and follies and forgeries: these 100 maps, organized chronologically, are the most important, dramatic, and breathtakingly beautiful ever created. They show not only the art and science of the form, but also its power. Some had devastating consequences, such the 1885 map of Africa that carved up the continent to Europeans desires. But others are simply exquisite to look at or mysterious, like the Aborginal "Dreamtime" painting and the Siberian rock maps. And some maps capture places that exist only in the imagination. Finding out about each one is an adventure all its own, whether it be with Lewis and Clark across America or the British as they uncovered India.
Synopsis
From beautifully engraved sixteenth-century Dutch maps to sinister Nazi maps, this stunning compendium features some of the most famous cartography ever created. Stretching back to when explorers feared dropping off the edge of the world, these 65 examples include Lewis and Clark s charting of the American West, the British mapping of India and Australia, and maps that divided up continents among conquerors, marked a country s geology, or laid out military campaigns. There are even some fantasy maps, including one from Lord of the Rings Organized chronologically, the collection shows the evolution of map-making from all corners of the globe.
"
Synopsis
An ancient Chinese proverb suggests, "They are wise parents who give their children roots and wings - and a map."
Maps That Changed the World features some of the world's most famous maps, stretching back to a time when cartography was in its infancy and the 'edge of the world' was a barrier to exploration. The book includes details of how the Lewis and Clark Expedition helped map the American West, and how the British mapped India and Australia. Included are the beautifully engraved Dutch maps of the 16th century; the sinister Utopian maps of the Nazis; the maps that presaged brilliant military campaigns; charted the geology of a nation; and the ones that divided a continent up between its European conquerors.
Organised by theme, the book shows the evolution of map-making from all corners of the globe, from ancient clay maps, to cartographic breakthroughs such as Harry Beck's map of the London underground. There are also famous fictional maps, including the maps of the lost continent of Atlantis and Tolkien's Middle Earth.
With an introduction written by acclaimed cartographic historian Jeremy Black.
Synopsis
This lavishly illustratedand#160;history of the golden age of cartography, from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, explores not only the embellishments on maps but also what they reveal about the world in which they were created. Here there be monsters real and imagined; ships actual and archetypical; newly discovered flora such as corn and tobacco; fauna ranging from buffalo to unicorns; godlike beings and fantasy-like depictions of native peoples. The stunningly rendered images illuminate an entire world.
Synopsis
From the crude maps of ancient Babylon to the satellite-fueled precision of Google Maps, cartography has been both a record of dreams and of discoveries.
The Men Who Mapped the World is a beautifully illustrated and highly informative journey through these discoveries and dreams. Maps have played midwife to empires, helped win wars, and encouraged our species to venture beyond boundaries of space and time. Now that inspiring history is literally hands-on with 20 pull-out facsimiles of significant maps from the archives of the Royal Geographical Society!
About the Author
Dennis Reinhartz is professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Arlington, where he spent 35 five years as a professor of history and Russian. He has edited and contributed chapters to numerous academic books, including
Mapping of Empire: Soldier-Engineers on the Southwest Frontier and
The Mapping of the American Southwest. He lives in Santa Fe, NM.