Maps and Civilization: Cartography in Culture and Society

by Norman J.W. Thrower

In this concise introduction to the history of cartography, Norman J. W. Thrower charts the intimate links between maps and history from antiquity to the present day. A wealth of illustrations, including the oldest known map and contemporary examples made using Geographical Information Systems (GIS), illuminate the many ways in which various human cultures have interpreted spatial relationships.

The second ediion of Maps and Civilization incorporates numerous revisions and has new material added throughout the book.

"The premier one-volume history of cartography. . . . Maps and Civilization should be a close companion for anyone interested in where they came from, where they are now, and where to go for more detail."—John P. Snyder, Mercator's World

Norman J. W. Thrower is professor emeritus of geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. His other books include Standing on the Shoulders of A Longer View of Newton and Halley and Sir Francis Drake and the Famous Voyage, 1577-1580.

Genres: History, Cartography, Science, Nonfiction, Travel, Society, Geography

340 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1972

Reviews

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dry. Worthy, but dry. Probably by cartographer's standards this is laugh-a-minute stuff, I don't know.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love maps but a book about maps just seems like it would be excruciatingly dull. However I think Norman Thrower actually did a great job of making the subject of cartography quite accessible. He avoided the twin pitfalls of dwelling on any one technical topic or becoming immersed in trade specific details. The book had a nice mixture of history and science and while it would have been nice to see color versions of the maps it had a plentiful collection interspersed through the whole work. If you like maps this is a must--would give it 3.5 stars if I could.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exceedingly dry and exhaustively comprehensive (if short) overview of the history of cartography, up through the later half of the 20th century (with some updates for 21st). There's a lot of joy to be found in the appendices and endnotes, in contrast to the density of the main text.

Tightly focused on maps and cartography and not really on civilization or culture to the degree the title and publisher's description implies, which I found personally disappointing but isn't really a criticism of the book-as-written; the lengthy bibliography offers a wealth of jumping-off points.

[Kirby McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid history of mapping, but definitely written by an old fart trying to not come across as an old fart.

[Zahavah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it when authors manage to write an academic book in a way that is engaging, readable, and not dry.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a time when three stars means "this was really good."

Dry, yes- but not insanely boring; I definitely learned some new things and thought it was very well-written. I think if I was bananas over cartography I'd give it five stars.

[Celadevra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abandoned at about 70% of the main part, 18% of the whole text due to the extremely long back matter. Impressively researched but left me wondering what's the point.