This lavishly illustrated book provides a unique insight into the evolution of mapmaking and the science behind it, from the stone age to the digital age.
Britain's leading cartographic author takes us on a historical journey through how the greatest maps were created. Exploring key cartographers and mapmaking methods, as well as fascinating interludes on subjects such as the very first maps, deliberate mistakes, and superlative maps, this comprehensive guide explores how the techniques and technology have developed throughout human history:
Evolving methods of surveying: from the Roman groma, through the naval instruments of the magnetic compass, astrolabes and sextants, to the 20th century revolution of aerial photography
Drawing tools and materials: from Babylonian maps carved in clay, to digital maps created via touchscreen
The introduction of various mapping conventions and key components of a map: from Ptolemy's introduction of longitude and latitude, through the 13th century origins of having north at the top, to the various projections used to represent the Earth.
With visually stunning historic maps and antique instruments, this book will engross readers with its fascinating stories of how we came to chart our world.
By:
Philip Parker
Imprint: Quarto Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 260mm,
Width: 203mm,
ISBN: 9780711282643
ISBN 10: 0711282641
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 14 November 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction 1. In the Beginning: The First Maps Candidates for the first map, from Neolithic incisings, to stone petroglyphs, the Catal Hoyuk fresco, the Nuzi map from Mesopotamia and the Babylonian map of the world. First maps from other regions - the Turin Map, Chinese maps.. Surveys and Sketches: Gathering the Information Surveys and surveyors. Surveying instruments (e.g.the groma) from the Romans onwards. Astrolabes, sextants and dividers. Great surveying achievements from Eratosthenes to the Great Indian Trigonometrical Survey. 3. Whys and Wherefores: The Purpose of Maps Ideological purposes of mapping. Roman imperial mapping. Mapping in the Islamic world - religious purpose. Christian Mappae Mundi. Mapping new lands (the discovery of the Americas), maps of the nation state (the French Cassini maps), Military mapping, didactic and educational mapping, social and political planning/thematic maps.4. Old Timers: The First Map-Makers Key cartographers (including Al-Khwarazmi, Gerald of Wales, Fra Mauro, Martin Behaim)5. In the Round: Globes and Spheres It seems intuitive that a map should be flat, on a surface that can be spread out and easily consulted (or equally as two-dimensional images viewed on a computer or smartphone screen). Yet we all know that the world itself is not flat, and no mapping projection can ever accurately represent the areas, angles or distances on the ground in two dimensions. The answer? A globe.6. Surface Matters: Materials for Drawing Maps Map-makers and engravers tools, from cuneiform wedges to touch-screens. Techniques - Copper Engraving, etching, illumination, lithography, metal engraving, woodcut. Surfaces for maps - clay, papyrus, parchment, vellum, paper, digital, ceramic, birchbark, cloth. Metal, stone and rock, mosaic.7. A Map of Many Parts: The Components of a Map A brief history of latitude and longitude lines, rhumb lines, wind roses, cartouches keys and map legends.8. Going Nowhere: Places which werent there Mistakes, deliberate or otherwise on maps (including Antilia, Hy Brasil, the Great Inland Sea in Australia, the North-West Passage.9. The Drawing Room: Key Cartographers from the Golden Age to the Digital Age More key cartographers (including Piri Reis, Diogo Ribeiro, Sebastian Munster, Jodocus Hondius).10. Mighty Maps: Mapping Superlatives The smallest, largest, most expensive, most printed maps of cartographic history.11. A Map in Hand: The Purposes to which Maps have been Put Maps which have been the cause or at the centre of political/military controversy. Conclusion
Philip Parker is a writer, consultant and publisher specializing in ancient and medieval political and military systems. He studied history at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and is the author of A History of Britain in Maps (2016), the DK Eyewitness Companion Guide to World History (2010), The Atlas of Atlases (2022) and many more.
