On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the W

Garfield, Simon

ISBN 10: 1592407803 / ISBN 13: 9781592407804

Published by Gotham Books, 2013

About this Item

Seller Inventory # FORT811735

Bibliographic Details

• Title: On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the W
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1592407803
• ISBN 13: 9781592407804
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

Cartography enthusiasts rejoice: the bestselling author of the Just My Type reveals the fascinating relationship between man and map.
Simon Garfield's Just My Type illuminated the world of fonts and made everyone take a stand on Comic Sans and care about kerning. Now Garfield takes on a subject even dearer to our fanatical human hearts: maps.

Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping--not language--is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom. Follow the history of maps from the early explorers' maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history--and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human.

Featuring a foreword by Dava Sobel and packed with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities, and amusing "pocket maps" on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the strangest maps on the Internet, On the Map is a rich historical tapestry infused with Garfield's signature narrative flair. Map-obsessives and everyone who loved Just My Type will be lining up to join Garfield on his audacious journey through time and around the globe.

About the Author

Simon Garfield is the author of fourteen acclaimed books of nonfiction including Just My Type. He lives in London and St. Ives, Cornwall.