Mapping the World: Maps and Their History

by Nathaniel Harris and NATHANIEL. HARRIS

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571455760
• ISBN13: 9781571455765
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press (CA)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 3.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.8" x 11.3"

Customer Reviews

Color reproductions of 73 important maps.

This is a visually appealing book. Each map is reproduced in a full page (8.5 x 11") and followed by 3 pages to put the map in historical context. Most useful is a half page pictorial, that zooms into and highlights important elements on the map. For example in the 1500 World Map, by Juan de La Cosa, there is an inlet of Mythical beings and St. Christopher. The book starts with a 6th century B.C. Babylonian world map, and ends with the topography of Mars. Some of my favorites include a Pilgrim Route map, that looks like an Medieval trip-tick,, Jacques Le Moynes Florida map of 1564, and the 1583 Belgic Lion map, with the outline of the Low Countries forming a Lion. Some of my favorite modern maps include the London Underground with its "bold typographic style", Land use of San Francisco Bay of 1972, and the Indianapolis Airport approach map stretches the definition of a map. The maps often highlight world discovery over cartography advances, with few examples of outside of Mercator of projections of discussion of thematic maps. Thrower's book Maps + Civilization presents the cartographic advances more thoroughly (but without the beautiful color plates).

Nice presentation of introductory material to maps

The book uses a modern layout, presenting a number of maps that are representative for the history of chartography. After each map a double page present historical events related to that map or other information relevent to mapmaking or to the history of maps. The book is full with excelent ilustration of famous maps. This is a perfect introduction to the history of maps.