The Road to There: Mapmakers and Their Stories - Hardcover

Ross, Val

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0887766218 ISBN 13: 9780887766213

Publisher: Tundra Books, 2003

Synopsis

With reproductions of some of the most important maps in history, presents many of the unexpected stories of history's great mapmakers and their charts, quilts, songlines, and parchment that guided men and women through the strange, vast, and mysterious frontiers of the world.

About this title

Product Description

The stories of history's mapmakers: fraud artists who disorted maps for political gain, the slaves on the run who found their way to freedom thanks to specially pieced quilts, the woman who mapped London's streets, princes, doctors, and warriors.

Review

"Filled with details and insights and written with a storyteller's touch, this book will simultaneously inform and fascinate readers."
-School Library Journal [starred review]

"Ross covers plenty of historical ground in this wide-ranging discussion of maps and mapmakers.... An eclectic presentation...fascinating to young people..."
-Booklist

"In 13 chapters (or stories), Ross charts a route, notable for its verve, vitality and scholarship, from There to Here.... Among Ross's many attributes as a writer is her ability to place her readers inside the story, to envelop them with telling fragments and delectable details.... [N]ew worlds will be sensed if not seen by her readers as they travel with her from There to Here."
-The Globe and Mail

..".fascinating.... [C]ombines extensive research with crisp prose and engaging narratives... [A]n excellent resource for research.... The rich graphics make an impressive-looking volume that's very 'grown up' and stylish. This aesthetic, along with the well-written, compelling narrative, contributes to the book's crossover potential..."
-Quill & Quire

"The Road to There will be a valuable addition to any school library collection. Teachers as well as students will benefit by reading its chapters. Highly Recommended"
-CM Magazine

"The book is a fun, exciting and adventurous way to learn about maps. It will teach you about the attributes of maps and its makers, while keeping the thrill of a novel still intact."
-Brand New Planet reviewed by Patrick Brown, age 11

"[A] lively, engaging narrative...[with] inviting, conversational prose.... Ross's book is a treasure trove of fascinating maps and stories."
-Cooperative Children's Book Center, University of Wisconsin

..".informed and informative.... Black-and-white and color photographs nicely embellish this absorbing and highly recommended anthology..."
-Children's Bookwatch

"This book held my interest from first page to last; Isaac Asimov could not have done a better job on this intrinsically fascinating subject. There are answers here to questions I've wondered about all my life, and stories I'll remember as long as I live. Ross has John McPhee's clean spare style, and his knack of involving you totally in things you thought you already knew something about. I happened to read this the day after seeing an hour-long Ken Burns documentary about Lewis and Clark, and Ross made their story far more interesting to me in a single chapter."
-Spider Robinson

"[The Road to There] is so well written, interesting and informative. Maps tell interesting stories; some tell the "truth" some are fraudulent, some are pure propaganda and full of lies (British maps of Canada just before the conquest), others are fanciful guess work, wishful thinking and much more. Thanks for bringing some of [your insight] to that part of the public where you can make an impact."
-Conrad Heidenreich, Professor Emeritus, Geography, York University

From the Hardcover edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tundra Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0887766218
• ISBN 13: 9780887766213
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160