Fifty Maps and the Stories they Tell by Jerry Brotton


Fifty Maps and the Stories they Tell
Title : Fifty Maps and the Stories they Tell
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1851245235
ISBN-10 : 9781851245239
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 144
Publication : Published November 15, 2019

The Bodleian Library’s map collection is a treasure trove of cartographic delights spanning more than a thousand years. This book features highlights from the collection together with rare artifacts and some stunning examples from twenty-first-century map-makers. Lavishly illustrated throughout, the book showcases a rich array: from military maps, digital cartograms, decorative portolan charts, and maps of heaven and hell; to a Siberian sealskin map and a twelfth-century Arabic map of the Mediterranean; to J. R. R. Tolkien’s cosmology of Middle-earth, C. S. Lewis’s map of Narnia, and a tapestry map by contemporary artist Grayson Perry. Each map is accompanied by a narrative revealing the story behind its creation and the significance of its design. The chronological arrangement highlights how the science and practice of cartography has changed over time and how this evolution reflects political and social transformations from century to century. 
 

Fifty Maps and the Stories they Tell Reviews

  • Josh

    During the Pandemic I’ve not been able to travel and I’ve turned to maps to help fulfill that wanderlust. Maps contain great power to convey realities and this book covers 50 different ones from the Oxford Bodleian Library. From physical, to spiritual, to fictional to political, this book covers the multiple ways maps both reflect and construct reality. I really enjoyed this volume but I only wish it was physically larger so that I could luxuriate with them. Most of all, however these maps made me want to travel to Oxford even more.

  • Ian McHugh

    Loved this. Beautiful colour illustrations and, as the introduction states, the supporting text is as important and the images. Fascinating to see the evolution of map making and the hugely different ways in which culturally specific information has been (and continues to be) communicated. The map is an intellectual creation - the map is "not" the territory indeed!

  • Don

    If you like maps, you will love this book. The 50 maps are enormously varied and interesting. Each of has a short and informative description. As a whole, the book engagingly explores the nature of maps.

  • Martin Ridgway

    A small exhibition catalogue in the 'n examples of a topic' genre and very well done. Mainly it's one page description and one page illustration (good quality) although some get extra write-up and some detail illustrations.

  • Michael Hillman

    A delight to "read", though I did need to resort to a magnifying glass for the fine detail on some of the maps.