"An important and scholarly work; bringing together much information available heretofore only in scattered sources. Easily readable." — Gerald I. Alexander, F.R.G.S. Cartographer, Map Division, New York Public Library. The first authoritative history of maps and the men who made them. The historical coverage of this volume is immense: from the first two centuries A.D. — Strabo and Ptolemy — through the end of the 19th century, with some discussion of 20th-century developments. 86 illustrations. Extensive notes and bibliography. "Mr. Brown felicitously marries scholarship to narrative and dramatic skill." — Henry Steele Commager.

The number of people who love maps is growing. They are now very popular with the book-buying public. Among many other bits of information, this book reveals how the rules of cartography were drawn up and how people worked out the dimensions of the world.

The number of people who love maps is growing. They are now very popular with the book-buying public. Among many other bits of information, this book reveals how the rules of cartography were drawn up and how people worked out the dimensions of the world.

Jerry Brotton is the presenter of the acclaimed BBC4 series 'Maps: Power, Plunder and Possession'. Here he tells the story of our world through maps. Throughout history, maps have been fundamental in shaping our view of the world, and our place in it. But far from being purely scientific objects, world maps are unavoidably ideological and subjective, intimately bound up with the systems of power and authority of particular times and places. Mapmakers do not simply represent the world, they construct it out of the ideas of their age. In this scintillating book, Jerry Brotton examines the significance of 12 maps - from the mystical representations of ancient history to the satellite-derived imagery of today. He vividly recreates the environments and circumstances in which each of the maps was made, showing how each conveys a highly individual view of the world - whether the Jerusalem-centred Christian perspective of the 14th century Hereford Mappa Mundi or the Peters projection of the 1970s which aimed to give due weight to 'the third world'. Although the way we map our surroundings is once more changing dramatically, Brotton argues that maps today are no more definitive or objective than they have ever been - but that they continue to make arguments and propositions about the world, and to recreate, shape and mediate our view of it. Readers of this book will never look at a map in quite the same way again.

If you want to find your place on Earth, where must you look? Who were the first ancient mapmakers? What is the Chinese south-pointing carriage? How did Christianity influence mapmaking? Where Am I? is the fascinating story of how people began to chart the physical world and their place in it. Richly illustrated with meticulous drawings, it takes readers on a journey of their own. From Babylonia to Scandinavia, North America to China, Greece to Polynesia, ingenious methods and inventions will delight all those who marvel at the human spirit of adventure and ties to home.

The first authoritative history of maps and the men who made them. The historical coverage of this volume is immense: from the first two centuries A. D. through the end of the 19th century.

The true story of the theft of scores of valuable centuries-old maps by an antiques dealer.

The story of the exploration and birth of America is told afresh through the unique prism of hand-colored maps and engravings of the period. Before photography and television, it was printed and hand-colored maps that brought home the thrill of undiscovered lands and the possibilities of exploration, while guiding armies on all sides through the Indian Wars and the clashes of the American Revolution. Only by looking through the prism of these maps, can we truly understand how and why America developed the way it did. Mapping America illuminates with scene-setting text and more than 150 color images—from the exotic and fanciful maps of Renaissance explorers to the magnificent maps of the Golden Age and the thrilling battle-maps and charts of the American Revolutionary War, in addition to paintings from the masters of eighteenth century art, scores of photographs, and detailed diagrams. In total, this informative and lushly illustrated volume developed by rare maps collector Neal Asbury, host of “Neal Asbury’s Made in America,” and National Geographic historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts offers a new and immersive look at the ambition, the struggle, and the glory that attended and defined the exploration and making of America.

Who were the first mapmakers? What was the Vinland Map? How will maps change in the future? To uncover the hidden facts behind everyday things, explore the secrets of True Stories. True Stories reveals the surprising truth about a range of subjects. Discover everything you could wish to know, and some things you'll wish you didn't, about a huge range of topics!