Maps: their untold stories

by Rose Mitchell, Andrew Janes

A map is a snapshot of a place, a city, a nation or even the world at a given point in time-fascinating for what they tell us about the way our ancestors saw themselves, their neighbours and their place in the world. This magnificent collection, drawn from seven centuries of maps held in the National Archives at Kew, looks at a variety of maps, from those found in 14th Century manuscripts, through early estate maps, to sea charts, maps used in military campaigns, and maps from treaties.

The text explores who the mapmakers were, the purposes for which the maps were made, and what it tells us about the politics of the time. Great images are accompanied by compelling stories. Featured is a woodcut map of 16th Century London, a map of where the bombs fell during the Second World War, and a map the first American settlers' drew when they were attempting to establish a new empire on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina.

Richly illustrated with large scale reproductions of the maps, the book also includes some of the more amusing or esoteric maps from the National Archives, such as the map of the Great Exhibition in 1851 that was presented on a lady's glove, a London Underground map in the form of a cucumber, and a Treasure Island map used to advertise National Savings.

This is a fascinating and unusual journey through the world of maps and mapmakers.

Genres: History, Maps

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Ruth Brumby · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellently produced book with superb illustrations and clear text. The maps are well selected and organised. The text is informative although simple. I learned a huge amount of history! The process and contexts for cartography is fascinating. Perhaps some of these questions could have been explored in more depth. Its a book almost excessively focussed on avoiding controversy!

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love maps. I find it interesting to follow intersecting routes, look at the terrain, think about the people that reside along roads, etc. This book is big and beautiful. It contains everything from a landowners map to military maps, maps of the sea, etc. While there are some maps from America, most are from Europe. This is a great book for a history buff, however you really need to know the names of nations as they transitioned into modern day times. There is an explanation that goes along with the maps and it can be educational. I think I would prefer to find a book that deals more with America, but if you enjoy the Artistry of maps and really know your History, than this would be a beautiful book to read. If nothing else, it really makes one appreciate the work of the cartographer.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a large format book of a selection of maps, and the stories that go with them, held in the UK national archive. The maps range in date from 14th to 20th century. Of necessity, most are shown much smaller than their original size in order to fit them on the page. Each map is shown on a separate page with a description on the opposing page. It would have been useful for some of the maps to have a small indicator of the area in a modern map to give some idea of context. The maps shown range from the very detailed to just simple sketches. For anyone who enjoys maps from historical to more recent times.

[John Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I'm a sucker for maps - everything from antique maps to Google maps. I love books about maps. I even love the street directory! This is a very fine book and one which I greatly enjoyed.

[Tres Herndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty neat maps, especially the older ones, but the whole thing felt a little bit underwhelming. Still, I had fun flipping through it.