The Library of Lost Maps

by James Cheshire

'A magnificent book that sings of the romance and mystery that only old maps possess' EDWARD BROOKE-HITCHING

'Astonishingly fresh and insightful ... A triumph' ALICE ROBERTS

'Engaging, deeply satisfying and elegantly designed' SIMON WINCHESTER, SPECTATOR

The remarkable story of an overlooked map archive that reveals how maps have helped inspire some of the greatest scientific discoveries, but also led to terrible atrocities.

At the heart of University College London, nestled in the centre of Bloomsbury, lies a long-forgotten map library packed with thousands of maps and atlases. After Professor James Cheshire stumbled upon it, he spent three years sifting through hundreds of dusty drawers to see what was there. He was stunned to uncover some of the most significant maps and atlases from the last two centuries - many of which had not seen the light of day for decades.

In The Library of Lost Maps we discover atlases for the masses that expanded nineteenth-century horizons and maps that were wielded by those in power to wage war and negotiate peace; charts that trace the icy peaks of the Himalayas and the deepest depths of the ocean; and pioneering maps produced to settle borders in central Europe or the wealth of those in inner-city London. Maps have played a vital role in shaping our scientific knowledge of the world, showing the impact of climate change and inspiring the theory of plate tectonics. They have also guided politicians, encouraging both beneficial reforms and horrific conquests, the consequences of which we continue to live with today.

Brimming with astonishing discoveries, The Library of Lost Maps reveals why cartography really matters and how map-making has helped transform our understanding of the world around us.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Geography, Science, Maps, Cartography, Adult

425 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 9, 2025

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of the audiobook through Libro.FM and Pop Fiction Bookstore, an independent and woman-owned bookstore.

Lost Maps was wonderful. Poignant, deeply thoughtful, smart, and full of fascinating little facts that will plague everyone as you bring them up to speed.

Sure we need GIS and satellite mapping tools have become so deeply entwined with all our technology, but we need our history and the context of where we are to see where we are going as well. We need to continue mapping the seabed. We need to understand the geographical impacts of poverty. We need to be smart enough to identify how maps and places are used for political rhetoric. This is a great book on getting us thinking and talking about these things.

What I am sitting with now are thought about the change to the Gulf of American (ugh) and Instagram green lighting location sharing and wondering what kind of woman would use such a terrible thing in this second decade of social media, and the Pokemon Go accusations of geo-caching spots as intel, true or not, all things are data and data is power. This book will have me thinking of such things for a long time, and for that impact alone (on top of great writing and audio delivery) five-stars.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is informative about maps across time, but more importantly, it is great fun to read. The passion of the author, James Cheshire, for all things maps, is infectious. When he describes a map, it is more than how "accurate" it was. He appreciates the artistry and skill of the map maker, the arduous procedure of creating a map and then duplicating it, the unique information the map provides, and the worlds the map reveals. All of this is placed into the historical context so maps for one purpose were often used for others, such as tourist maps being used for military or espionage campaigns. You will have a new and greater appreciation for maps after reading this wonderful book.

[alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the author’s other books, this was so interesting and digestible even with some of the more academic chapters. It has such great insight and I learned something new in each section. It’s a must for anyone who loves maps and geography but there are also some lovely anecdotal tidbits that add a personal and human touch. The hardcover is also gorgeous- the cover but also the high res printed maps, which makes it easy to refer to while reading.

Thank you to the author for an ARC.

[KG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book. Written by a digital mapping expert who found an interest in paper maps upon discovering the map library, it’s full of scans and photos of some amazing finds. But this book is far more than just “Here’s a great map, and here’s another great map”. It’s also about what happens when other map libraries close down, and how items of historical and educational value are sometimes thrown away, or are at risk of it. He gets us to think about how any items of value are at risk of being discarded if the people handling them don’t realise their importance.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a magnificent book. At its heart it tells the story of how maps influenced history and are used as tools and expressions of political power. Focusing mostly on European history of the 19th and 20th centuries this book shed a light on how maps filed colonial expansions and how they were both cause and effect for both world wars. Moving along it spends a delightful chapter on Marie Tharp’s ground breaking work on ocean floor mapping as well as a brief look at GIS and maps of the future. Richly illustrated it is an indulgence for this history loving map nerd

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for those of us who love to read maps. We feel how maps have affected the course of history. I gave it a 5 because I really like the book, but I wish the maps had been a little larger.

[Jessica Zenger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic non-fiction read about the power and continuity of maps, based on the UCL Map Library. Interspersed throughout the book are 100 maps, in whole or in part, on a variety of topics which remind us of our past and inspire us to a better future.

52 Book Challenge Prompt #51 - Includes a Map

[Peter Tillman]

WSJ review: https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/book...
(Paywalled. As always, I'm happy to email a copy to non-subscribers)
Excerpt:
"Mr. Cheshire profiles Bruce Heezen and Marie Tharp, who dedicated their professional lives to mapping the entirety of the ocean floor in partnership with National Geographic magazine and, later, the U.S. Office of Naval Research. The resulting 1978 masterpiece—sublimely detailed and marvelously strange in its presentation of unseen ridges, troughs and endless plains—reflected the newly established theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. After coming across Heezen and Tharp’s work in the map room’s “oceans” drawer, Mr. Cheshire traveled to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., to see the original, waiting in delighted suspense for the hand-painted map to be brought up from the vaults. He writes that he “spent three joyful hours” pouring over its extraordinary contours and terrain."

[Nicole W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: this is a surprisingly interesting look at a niche subject. The author balances fact with story well and doesn't ruminate too long on any one facet of the topic, which makes for an engaging read. I do wish it was less Euro-centric, though.

I've been enjoying exploring niche nonfiction this year. However, I've discovered that while I love the idea of it, I have started more books than I can count and have been unable to finish any of them. When investigating specific nonfiction, I find myself interested for a while, before eventually tapering off. Narrative nonfiction does a much better job of holding my interest for longer periods of time.

Nonetheless, this cover enticed me, the educator ALCs offered it, and I decided to give it a shot. I am glad I did. I didn't realize maps could be so fascinating and I wholeheartedly enjoyed this experience. The author does a wonderful job of intermixing map history and lore with personal anecdotes and narrative stories from the history. He states facts in an engaging way and jumped often enough into new topics that I never felt "bogged down" in any one aspect, jumping back and re-referencing things later to provide further context.

The only thing I didn't love was how WWII and Euro-centered a lot of the narrative was. I get that a huge world war had a monumental impact on maps. But tell me more about the colonial maps in Africa and India and how they impacted things. Talk to me about mapping the undersea - or space! I felt like so much of the book (maybe 1/3 of it? rough estimate) was focused on world war maps and their histories and implications ON history that a lot of other interesting side stories got a bit lost and didn't get the attention they deserved.

Ultimately, though, this was a good book and a great dive into facts and nonfiction. It kept my interest, and the audiobook coupled with Google searches sparked my interest in maps and geography in a way I hadn't expected!

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Library of Lost Maps by James Cheshire is an engrossing and attractive book that conveys his love of maps as well as everything one can learn from maps.

Cheshire's excitement and love of maps and geography is infectious in this wonderful book. If you have moved or traveled very much in your life you have probably developed a fondness for maps. Ratchet that up several levels and that is where you will be after reading this.

From his own personal recollections about collecting and using maps to the stories behind many of the maps in the library, this book is a fascinating collection of the various uses maps have had and continue to have. While we often think of maps as something that simply tells us where places are in relation to other places, Cheshire highlights not just physical geography but human geography as well in explaining the importance of these maps and how they were used before being filed away.

The illustrations are amazing and some of the anecdotes will have you searching online for other maps and stories using key words and names from the book. I have to admit, I enjoy going down rabbit holes online with many of the books I read, and enjoy every time I do, but this was especially fun. Okay, maybe more fun for me than some of my friends, I kept bringing maps up and without having read the book they didn't seem to care as much. But at least a couple of them are going to buy copies, so maybe I'll have someone to share my new interest with. Maybe one of them will even buy me a copy.

Highly recommended not just for cartography and geography lovers but anyone in any subject that might use maps, from history and the social sciences to geology, biology and most of the other sciences.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be such a cool-sounding title for a fantasy book of some kind, but instead it was just a cool-sounding title for a book about actual real life maps, full of anecdotes about the history of maps over the past few centuries. And yes, I did realize this before I started reading, and yes, I'm still disappointed that it didn't out to be a fantasy book anyway. Oh well.

The biggest issue I had was: why did I listen to this as an audiobook??? Pro: the posh-sounding British narration was charming and soothing (although, maybe too much? I was often lulled into only half paying attention to what he was saying). Con: it is hard to think of a more specifically visual topic than maps, and I did not have the mental visualization skills to fully appreciate what I was listening to. (I have to assume the print book has, you know, maps in it; indeed, the audiobook did inform me that I could look at pdfs of some of the maps online, but that's just not the same.)

In the end I realized that I don't actually care about maps very much; but I DO love libraries, and so I appreciated that the author paid a good amount of attention to the library itself (at University College London) in addition to the maps found within.

[Savannah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Library of Lost Maps is a beautifully imagined exploration of how stories, memories, and geography intertwine. Blending historical intrigue with quiet, reflective fantasy, the book follows a hidden archive where incomplete, forgotten, and evolving maps reveal not just landscapes, but the shifting emotional terrains of the people who made them. The narrative moves gracefully between past and present, showing how maps—both literal and metaphorical—shape identity and connection.

The author’s prose is lyrical yet grounded, offering vivid descriptions of cartographic wonders while maintaining a deeply human core. Readers who enjoy atmospheric storytelling, gentle world-building, and themes of discovery, loss, and rediscovery will find this book especially captivating. It’s a contemplative, immersive read that invites you to consider the unseen places—on the globe and within ourselves—that are still works in progress.

[Patrick Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the author takes us on a tour of the map library at the University College of London, with a look at some of the numerous maps in their possession. The author uses these maps as a springboard to talk about how they were made, what they were made for, what the political and social context of when they were made, and what happened as a result of their being made.

If you are interested in geography or cartography, I highly recommend this book. I also recommend reading it in a hard copy version so that you can experience the artistry that went into making the featured maps.

My only complaint on the book was that his writing style was a little odd. He would mention a map or mapmaker in passing and, one or two chapters later, go into detail on who they were and what the context of the map was. But it was still a well-written book.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book for free from a Goodreads giveaway. Even though I’m not much for geography and have never read a book about maps, the synopsis and cover drew me to enter the giveaway. It’s hard to rate non fiction, especially on topics I dabble in (vs topics I deep dive into). But for being a book about maps, I found it interesting and visually fun. I even read parts to my 11yo. Probably a 4 ⭐️ and folks who know more about the subject may have specific critiques, I thought it was better than I expected it to be.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected from this, but there was a lot more WWII and Nazis than I needed. While the information is useful and somewhat interesting to a layperson, I guess I was expecting something more esoteric. I liked best the descriptions of the ocean floor maps, and how they were created and hand-painted. There is a valuable message here, about what will be lost if old maps are lost, and I do think it would be a great idea to have a museum of maps somewhere. Thanks to Libro.FM for a free educator copy of the audiobook.

[Hel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and Libro.fm for an ALC of this title!

This was a charming look into cartography and had an interesting voice. There was a distinct absent minded professor vibe to the storyline. Mostly that really helped as you felt you were discovering along with the author, but occasionally, it defied my suspension of disbelief. Like much of the nonfiction I’ve read in the last few years, there is of course, Nazis and the patriarchy buried not far down. It felt like the author was a little surprised to find them. You won’t be.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I have long had an interest in maps and cartography, and have read several books on the subject, but this in the best yet! First, I loved how the author, James, took us along on his discovery of the map library that had laid untouched for many years, and his increasing love for his specialty of maps as he examined what he found there. It was an engaging hook. His statement, “I was having the time of my life…” says it all. Best of all, James provides the BEST PDF accompaniment I have ever encountered with an audiobook! I guarantee you won’t regret buying this one!

[Castra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a nerd for navigation's dream! Talk about seeing the world through a different lens or rather map. The author takes historical events and gives you a glimpse into what the world "looked" like during that time by comparing them with old maps. It is definately a humbling idea. Littered with stunning pictures of maps, obviously, this one is a wonderful book for those who love all things adventure but also academic.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting! As someone who LOVES a map, this was fun too! 🤩 Every book should have a map. 🗺️ After learning the Library of Lost Maps actually exists, I’m ready to make a trip to London. I can’t believe it was ever forgotten! This makes me want to go flip through an Atlas.

Lucky for me, I could even look at the books he was referencing while listening! An interactive book if you will 🤩

Out today!!

[Tom Wasilewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very high quality reference with a diverse collection of maps to stress the important role of maps throughout history. The one issue that I have is not including Endnotes in the publication. You need to use a link to pull references. I have printed the 43 pages of notes and will review before figuring out how to attach the 43 pages so my this book is complete.

[Melissa Ramon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book that's awfully niche, this was a pleasure. I'm more of a historian, less of a geographer, but the writing was accessible, and just-detailed-enough to keep interest high. The audio presentation was charming.

[Luke Wiest · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should read Goodreads descriptions more carefully. This wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting a deep dive into specific lost maps whereas the book is more of a general overview of map genres and their makers over the past 200 years. An interesting read, just not what I was anticipating.

[The Book Adventurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and informative. I've had a fascination with maps since I was a child, but this book made me look at them in a different way.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have any interest in maps you should pick up this book and start reading.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those interested in cartography…

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at maps as told through a specific map collection.

[Nikko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across a review of this and enjoyed it throughly. One of the most beautifully designed books I have read in a long while. Well worth the price.