On the Map : Why the World Looks the Way it Does

Author(s): Simon Garfield

History

Maps fascinate us. They chart our understanding of the world and they log our progress, but above all they tell our stories. From the early sketches of philosophers and explorers through to Google Maps and beyond, Simon Garfield examines how maps both relate and realign our history. His compelling narratives range from the quest to create the perfect globe to the challenges of mapping Africa and Antarctica, from spellbinding treasure maps to the naming of America, from Ordnance Survey to the mapping of Monopoly and Skyrim, and from rare map dealers to cartographic frauds. En route, there are 'pocket map' tales on dragons and undergrounds, a nineteenth century murder map, the research conducted on the different ways that men and women approach a map, and an explanation of the curious long-term cartographic role played by animals. On The Map is a witty and irrepressible examination of where we've been, how we got there and where we're going.


Product Information

"'Every so often someone writes a book about an obscure subject and uses it to illuminate the rest of the world... this is one of the best' (William Leith, Evening Standard) 'After being walked through these stories, it's difficult to even look at a cereal packet in the same way again' (Observer) 'This is a smart, funny, accessible book that does for typography what Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves did for punctuation' (New York Times)"

Simon Garfield is the author of a dozen acclaimed books of non-fiction, including the bestsellers Just My Type - a Book about Fonts and Our Hidden Lives, the edited diaries from the Mass Observation Archive. He lives in London and St Ives, with a strange miscellany of maps lining the walls.

General Fields

  • : 9781846685095
  • : Profile Books Limited
  • : Profile Books Ltd
  • : 0.604
  • : October 2012
  • : 216mm X 135mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : November 2012
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Simon Garfield
  • : Hardback
  • : English
  • : 912.09
  • : 464
  • : Yes - b&w