A roaring fire. A group of friends. A night of captivating tales ensues. What happens when the defenders of Merceria gather in Bodden on a cool summer's night? With an adventurous princess in the mix, it can only mean one thing; regaling each other with accounts of erstwhile derring-do. Fitz the Elder indulges in memories of the past, while Beverly recounts a time she outwitted both an Earl and a Bandit King. A reluctant Dame Hayley is coaxed into sharing her exploits following her victory at the Uxley archery competition. Anna convinces a humble Gerald to share what tempered his thirst for vengeance after the loss of his family. Just when it appears the night is over, the final surprising tales unfold, leaving everyone speechless. Mercerian Tales is a collection of short stories, weaved together with snippets of lore about the kingdom, which falls between books two and three of the series, Heir to the Crown. If you like mythical beasts, bold manoeuvers, and witty banter, then you will love Paul J Bennett's recollections of days gone by. Pick up your copy of Mercerian Tale: Stories of the Past today, and pull up a chair!

To the Ends of the Earth offers a unique insight into the evolution of map-making and the science behind it, from the stone age to the digital age.

This beatutiful book is a lavishly illustrated look at the most important atlases in history and the cartographers who made them. Atlases are books that changed the course of history. Pored over by rulers, explorers, and adventures these books were used to build empires, wage wars, encourage diplomacy, and nurture trade. Written by Philip Parker, an authority on the history of maps, this book brings these fascinating artefacts to life, offering a unique, lavishly illustrated guide to the history of these incredible books and the cartographers behind them. All key cartographic works from the last half-millennium are covered, including: The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, considered the world’s first atlas and produced in 1570 by the Dutch, geographer Abraham Ortelius, The 17th-century Klencke — one of the world’s largest books that requires 6 people to carry it, The Rand McNally Atlas of 1881, still in print today and a book that turned its makers, William H Rand and Andrew McNally into cartographic royalty. This beautiful book will engross readers with its detailed, visually stunning illustrations and fascinating story of how map-making has developed throughout human history.

Few people can resist the appeal of old maps and plans. Even in these days of disposable mapping - from satellite navigation to customized road directions at the click of a mouse - the historical map continues to present a unique perspective on our changing world. Here we explore 25 glorious examples. The emphasis is on the story behind the map: what it reveals about its creator and users, from the first explorers to the railway builders. This thought-provoking collection features maps that chart societies as well as land, sea, and skies; maps that have influenced and inspired; and perhaps most revealing of all, maps that misrepresent.

"For every book lover who fantasized about getting locked in the library overnight,The Story Collectoris a dream come true!"—New York Times-bestselling author Alan Gratz In the tradition of E. L. Konisburg, this middle-grade mystery adventure is inspired by the real life of Viviani Joffre Fedeler, born and raised in the New York Public Library. The Story Collector by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb is a middle-grade historical fiction inspired by the real life of Viviani Fedeler. Eleven-year-old Viviani Fedeler has spent her whole life in the New York Public Library. She knows every room by heart, except the ones her father keeps locked. When Viviani becomes convinced that the library is haunted, new girl Merit Mubarak makes fun of her. So Viviani decides to play a harmless little prank, roping her older brothers and best friend Eva to help out. But what begins as a joke quickly gets out of hand, and soon Viviani and her friends have to solve two big mysteries: Is the Library truly haunted? And what happened to the expensive new stamp collection? It's up to Viviani, Eva, and Merit (reluctantly) to find out.

This is an introductory volume on the history of English maps. The authors adopt the revisionist perspectives of the new history of cartography, and review a broad range of maps, ranging in date from about 700 AD to the beginning of the 20th century. Their principle objective is to explore the ways in which maps have interacted with society in England's past, to analyze the roles that maps have played and the uses to which they have been put.

The Island of Lost Maps tells the story of a curious crime spree: the theft of scores of valuable centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the United States and Canada. The perpetrator was Gilbert Joseph Bland, Jr., an enigmatic antiques dealer from South Florida, whose cross-country slash-and-dash operation had gone virtually undetected until he was caught in 1995–and was unmasked as the most prolific American map thief in history. As Miles Harvey unravels the mystery of Bland’s life, he maps out the world of cartography and cartographic crime, weaving together a fascinating story of exploration, craftsmanship, villainy, and the lure of the unknown.

An original and wide-ranging study of the mappings used to impose meaning on the world, Mapping Reality argues that maps create rather than merely represent the ground on which they rest. Distinctions between map and territory questioned by some theorists of the postmodern have always been arbitrary. From the history of cartography to the mappings of culture, sexuality and nation, Geoff King draws on an extensive range of materials, including mappings imposed in the colonial settlement of America, the Cold War, Vietnam and the events since the collapse of the Soviet bloc. He argues for a deconstruction of the opposition between map and territory to allow dominant mappings to be challenged, their contours redrawn and new grids imposed.