On The Map: Why the world looks the way it does - Softcover

Simon Garfield

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1846685109 ISBN 13: 9781846685101

Publisher: Profile Books, 2013

Synopsis

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.With a historical sweep ranging from Ptolemy to Twitter, Garfield explores the legendary, impassable (and non-existent) mountains of Kong, the role of cartography in combatting cholera, the 17th-century Dutch craze for Atlases, the Norse discovery of America, how a Venetian monk mapped the world from his cell and the Muppets' knack of instant map-travel. Along the way are pocket maps of dragons, Mars, murders and more, with plenty of illustrations and prints to signpost the route.From the bestselling and widely-adored author of Just My Type, On The Map is a witty and irrepressible examination of where we've been, how we got there and where we're going.

About this title

Review:

'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

'There couldn't be anyone better to write about our love of maps than Simon Garfield, who is a master at unearthing strange facts and mixing them with a lively personal narrative . . . fascinating' Giles Foden, Condé Nast Traveller

'Garfield has a genius for being sparked to life by esoteric enthusiasm and charming readers with his delight' Iain Finlayson, Times

'A rollicking sweep through map history, packed with curiosities and written with verve . . . On the Map will inspire you to take a trip to somewhere new, buy an antique globe to chart the rise and fall of empires, or just dig out a tatty orange Ordnance Survey Explorer map and let its filigree of contour lines evoke a long-forgotten walk in the rain . . . a great book' Independent on Sunday

'A stunning celebration of the cartographic. As one of the UK's leading contemporary polymaths, Garfield's always a joy to read for his gossamer-light show of rigorous learning, his shed-dweller precision in research and his infectious glee in passing on the golden nugget of fact' Monocle

'Garfield's genial prose twinkles with the delight of discovery' Wanderlust

'A pub quizzer's dream . . . Rather than over-romanticise the experience of map-reading, Garfield allows his varied, expertly researched stories to speak for themselves, and in so doing helps us see that there are fewer things in life more useful, rewarding and beautiful than a map that does what it's supposed to' Daily Telegraph

'He takes us on a fascinating voyage . . . and is a lively companion for the journey' Scotsman

'He hops around the world, ancient and modern, with glee, dispensing information, both learned and chatty. On the Map is informative and entertaining, and good fun . . . fascinating' --Irish Times

'Utterly charming and engrossing ... A thoroughly enjoyable guide to guides' Daily Mail

'Beguiling ... Garfield is like the schoolteacher who made the time fly, a one-man Blue Peter team for intelligent adults, a great British explainer' Observer

'Simon Garfield has a gift for really making us think about things ... Wonderful' Evening Standard

'Panoramic, erudite and enjoyable' --Independent i Newspaper

'Utterly charming and engrossing ... A thoroughly enjoyable guide to guides' Daily Mail

'Beguiling ... Garfield is like the schoolteacher who made the time fly, a one-man Blue Peter team for intelligent adults, a great British explainer' Observer

'Simon Garfield has a gift for really making us think about things ... Wonderful' --Evening Standard

Book Description:

From Mappa Mundi to Google Maps - the bestselling Just My Type author turns his gaze to maps.

Packed with accompanying map illustrations and images.

About this edition

• Publisher: Profile Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1846685109
• ISBN 13: 9781846685101
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 468