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This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong
The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men!
In their long-awaited debut, Map Men bring their highly infectious enthusiasm for everything map-related to the printed page for the very first time, in a brilliantly entertaining and eye-catching tome…
In their long-awaited debut, Map Men bring their highly infectious enthusiasm for everything map-related to the printed page for the very first time, in a brilliantly entertaining and eye-catching tome…
382 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 23, 2025
399 people are currently reading
5523 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
November 1, 2025
(4.25 stars)
I love maps. There, I said it. I’m a bit of a map nerd. Sure, I use my GPS (for the Brits, my “sat nav”) but I also love looking at a map. (For a cross-country road trip, we made sure we had a physical atlas because we didn’t know if we’d always have a cell signal.) So when I learned about this book, I immediately wanted to read it, despite knowing absolutely nothing about the authors, the Map Men, who are quite popular on YouTube. I have since checked out their YouTube videos and I can see why they’re so popular! They’re a lot of fun - and you learn something too.
Anyway, back to this book. I did a mix of reading and listening to the audiobook, as I was really curious how the material would work on audio without the visuals of the maps they were talking about! I can say, it worked very well indeed! The audiobook apparently will come with a PDF of the graphics, but honestly, for much of what I listened to, the actual graphic wasn’t all that necessary. Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman (the Map Men) do a fantastic job of keeping you entertained, using different accents depending on what they were talking about (such as the chapter on the tragedy of the Donner party or the one about the effort to create an International Map of the World).
There were many times that I had to laugh about the craziness they were explaining, such as the explanation of how most of the northern border of the US (with Canada) was decided upon and some of the nutty results of those decisions.
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
I love maps. There, I said it. I’m a bit of a map nerd. Sure, I use my GPS (for the Brits, my “sat nav”) but I also love looking at a map. (For a cross-country road trip, we made sure we had a physical atlas because we didn’t know if we’d always have a cell signal.) So when I learned about this book, I immediately wanted to read it, despite knowing absolutely nothing about the authors, the Map Men, who are quite popular on YouTube. I have since checked out their YouTube videos and I can see why they’re so popular! They’re a lot of fun - and you learn something too.
Anyway, back to this book. I did a mix of reading and listening to the audiobook, as I was really curious how the material would work on audio without the visuals of the maps they were talking about! I can say, it worked very well indeed! The audiobook apparently will come with a PDF of the graphics, but honestly, for much of what I listened to, the actual graphic wasn’t all that necessary. Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman (the Map Men) do a fantastic job of keeping you entertained, using different accents depending on what they were talking about (such as the chapter on the tragedy of the Donner party or the one about the effort to create an International Map of the World).
There were many times that I had to laugh about the craziness they were explaining, such as the explanation of how most of the northern border of the US (with Canada) was decided upon and some of the nutty results of those decisions.
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
November 8, 2025
Perfect mix of funny and interesting. Map men map men map map map men men
November 7, 2025
I discovered the author's youtube channel earlier this year and promptly watched their entire catalogue. Their mixture of fascinating information, map nerdery and comedy is compelling and addictive. Smart people explaining and sharing their love for something is just brilliant to read or watch. If you're at all familiar with their youtube content, this is more of the same, only with the expanded space they have room to be funnier than ever, sometimes taking the joke a little too far, which is often just far enough.
Take the chapter that transcribes a fictional podcast about the Donner Party. It brilliantly skewers the self-important style of long-form story podcasting, complete with the transcription of ridiculous inserted advertisements.
Or the chapter that's an epistolary of the correspondence of Albrecht Penck, the originator of the "Millionth Map" project, the first (and unsuccessful) attempt to accurately map the entire world at 1:1,000,000 scale which gets derailed by two world wars and the tepid involvement of other countries.
This is quite brilliant. Informative and very funny, just like the author's youtube channel.
Take the chapter that transcribes a fictional podcast about the Donner Party. It brilliantly skewers the self-important style of long-form story podcasting, complete with the transcription of ridiculous inserted advertisements.
Or the chapter that's an epistolary of the correspondence of Albrecht Penck, the originator of the "Millionth Map" project, the first (and unsuccessful) attempt to accurately map the entire world at 1:1,000,000 scale which gets derailed by two world wars and the tepid involvement of other countries.
This is quite brilliant. Informative and very funny, just like the author's youtube channel.
December 18, 2025
enjoyed this book about maps through different stories and our perceptions
November 3, 2025
Map men map men map map book book book
December 15, 2025
Map Men (Book), Map Men (Book), Map, Map, Map, Men Men (Book) Men
The format of the presence of men and their accompaniment by (a) map(s) translates all too well into a book format; at times it feels like I have inadvertently come to possess unreleased scripts (though entirely legitimate means), and my oh my how it hath slaked one's thirst.
As an old man, the several references throughout the book to how google maps has made navigation a perfunctory ordeal speak to me; if you are reading this I have (at my own behest) been blindfolded and dropped in the middle of an unspecified wood and I aim to return home using naught but my left ear and the ululations of the local avian populace.... if my next review takes a while this is for entirely unrelated reasons.
The format of the presence of men and their accompaniment by (a) map(s) translates all too well into a book format; at times it feels like I have inadvertently come to possess unreleased scripts (though entirely legitimate means), and my oh my how it hath slaked one's thirst.
As an old man, the several references throughout the book to how google maps has made navigation a perfunctory ordeal speak to me; if you are reading this I have (at my own behest) been blindfolded and dropped in the middle of an unspecified wood and I aim to return home using naught but my left ear and the ululations of the local avian populace.... if my next review takes a while this is for entirely unrelated reasons.
November 30, 2025
4.5 stars. I love hearing about someone talk about their special interests.
The audiobook for this was fantastic - their trademark maps videos but in a looooooooonger format. I absolutely love their Monty Python-esque storytelling. I was laughing out loud while listening (much to the chagrin of my husband who repeatedly asked “what the fuck are you doing?” because I had my AirPods in and didn’t share any maps with him.”
Overall this book was an absolute delight and I loved it.
The audiobook for this was fantastic - their trademark maps videos but in a looooooooonger format. I absolutely love their Monty Python-esque storytelling. I was laughing out loud while listening (much to the chagrin of my husband who repeatedly asked “what the fuck are you doing?” because I had my AirPods in and didn’t share any maps with him.”
Overall this book was an absolute delight and I loved it.
November 24, 2025
The authors of this book are popular on YouTube as the "Map Men" looking at mistakes in both old and new maps. I wasn't familiar with the authors' YouTube channel, but their knowledge, personalities, and humor came through in their writing. The result is a book that is both informative and entertaining. There are plenty of photos of maps, too, to better illustrate each chapter.
Standout chapters for me were the one about television boundaries in the UK, mistakes in tv news map graphics, "paper towns" on maps (towns placed on a map to prevent or discover plagiarism), and how maps and routes could have affected the ill-fated Donner expedition. A couple of the chapters didn't seem to translate as well from online show to print format. However, I still learned a lot and enjoyed the book as a whole
I received a free copy of this book from HTP Book and HTP Hive for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
Standout chapters for me were the one about television boundaries in the UK, mistakes in tv news map graphics, "paper towns" on maps (towns placed on a map to prevent or discover plagiarism), and how maps and routes could have affected the ill-fated Donner expedition. A couple of the chapters didn't seem to translate as well from online show to print format. However, I still learned a lot and enjoyed the book as a whole
I received a free copy of this book from HTP Book and HTP Hive for review consideration. My review is voluntary and unbiased.
November 21, 2025
Great, now I want to bombard my friends and family with all the fun facts and anecdotes I learned
October 26, 2025
Be warned! This contains not just dad jokes but geography teacher jokes.
Have you ever wondered how the people navigated vast swaths of the featureless Pacific Ocean without a chart? Or how some of those unnaturally straight lines ended up being borders between today's biggest countries? Or even why, in the 1980’s, Yorkshire Television broadcast as far south as King’s Lyn? If so this book has the answers for you.
I love the way Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman take a potentially mundane subject, such as the TV broadcasting stations of the UK in the 1980’s, and make it fascinating. Quirks of geography and cartography are examined in detail in a fascinating and light hearted manner. If you are already a fan of the YouTube channel, you will be able to picture the sketches they use to illustrate their points as you go along.
The final chapter is a bit of a call to arms. It will have you reaching for the paper maps you may have packed away a few years ago and challenging your brain to an unguided GPS free walk. It’s an absolutely cracking read.
Have you ever wondered how the people navigated vast swaths of the featureless Pacific Ocean without a chart? Or how some of those unnaturally straight lines ended up being borders between today's biggest countries? Or even why, in the 1980’s, Yorkshire Television broadcast as far south as King’s Lyn? If so this book has the answers for you.
I love the way Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman take a potentially mundane subject, such as the TV broadcasting stations of the UK in the 1980’s, and make it fascinating. Quirks of geography and cartography are examined in detail in a fascinating and light hearted manner. If you are already a fan of the YouTube channel, you will be able to picture the sketches they use to illustrate their points as you go along.
The final chapter is a bit of a call to arms. It will have you reaching for the paper maps you may have packed away a few years ago and challenging your brain to an unguided GPS free walk. It’s an absolutely cracking read.
Want to read
October 21, 2025Some of you old-timers will remember back in the day, if you needed to travel from point A to point B, you pulled this folded paper thing out of the drawer. For the benefit of the uninitiated, they were called maps. Here, the self called "Map Men" will take you on a humorous journey through maps when they get it wrong or otherwise mislead.
November 3, 2025
Огромен фен съм на YouTube канала на Map Men, където двамата автори правят кратки, хумористични и много любопитни видея за карти. Аз си падам картофил като авторите, имам една огромна карта на Европа в навечерието на Кръстоностния поход за Варна закачена в спалнята си, та тази книга трябваше да е точно за мен. За мое огромно съжаление обаче, повечето от главите в книгата не са нито кратки, нито хумористични, нито любопитни.
October 28, 2025
I love maps, I love reading about maps, I love maps facts. This juuuust missed the mark for me.
If you're familiar with the Map Mens content, then this book reads like a script for one of their YouTube videos, and for that reason sometimes the writing grated on me a little, and stories lacked a lot of the depth they needed to be compelling (*cough cough chapter 10 cough cough*).
I think one more critical edit and this could have been perfect, but honestly it was a good time for map lovers, and they definitely don't mince their words when talking about the impact of colonialism and imperialism, which I appreciate from two white British dudes.
If you're familiar with the Map Mens content, then this book reads like a script for one of their YouTube videos, and for that reason sometimes the writing grated on me a little, and stories lacked a lot of the depth they needed to be compelling (*cough cough chapter 10 cough cough*).
I think one more critical edit and this could have been perfect, but honestly it was a good time for map lovers, and they definitely don't mince their words when talking about the impact of colonialism and imperialism, which I appreciate from two white British dudes.
November 12, 2025
I pre-ordered this book since I'm a long-time fan of the Map Men series on YouTube, and true to form, each chapter provides an experience very similar to watching one of their videos. Very well researched information, peppered with even better researched jokes, often delivered with a commitment to the bit that verges on maniacal. As is often the case with books written by video content creators, it was difficult not to hear every line in their voices, goofy accents when depicting historic persons included.
I will say that the format of a book allowed them to commit even harder to gimmicks than their standard medium-length youtube videos, resulting in some of the funnier if more unusual bits of the book. The transcript for not one, but two episodes of an imagined self-important podcast about the Donner party stand out, along side a lengthy poem in rhyme about the Shetland islands' quest to never again be put in a box. In fact most of the chapters depart from the simple author describing historical events format, which does help to keep things fresh. Also, I had to stop and marvel at the two-and-a-half page single sentence after the promise, "in the interest of brevity, we'll keep it to one sentence." All in all a fun book about maps, each separate story stands on it's own and outside of the overt map theme, there's no bigger thesis to wrestle with. Not all of the stories are quite as goofy - Columbus kicking off the exploitation of the Americas and Caribbean and the nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands receive the more somber tone one would expect (mostly).
I'd recommend this book to anyone that has enjoyed the Map Men previously, or even those just in search of a relatively quick, light, and humorous read about maps and geography. It strikes me as just about the most perfect airport book ever printed, in a complimentary way.
I will say that the format of a book allowed them to commit even harder to gimmicks than their standard medium-length youtube videos, resulting in some of the funnier if more unusual bits of the book. The transcript for not one, but two episodes of an imagined self-important podcast about the Donner party stand out, along side a lengthy poem in rhyme about the Shetland islands' quest to never again be put in a box. In fact most of the chapters depart from the simple author describing historical events format, which does help to keep things fresh. Also, I had to stop and marvel at the two-and-a-half page single sentence after the promise, "in the interest of brevity, we'll keep it to one sentence." All in all a fun book about maps, each separate story stands on it's own and outside of the overt map theme, there's no bigger thesis to wrestle with. Not all of the stories are quite as goofy - Columbus kicking off the exploitation of the Americas and Caribbean and the nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands receive the more somber tone one would expect (mostly).
I'd recommend this book to anyone that has enjoyed the Map Men previously, or even those just in search of a relatively quick, light, and humorous read about maps and geography. It strikes me as just about the most perfect airport book ever printed, in a complimentary way.
December 7, 2025
This was a very fun, informative read!
I am a gigantic map nerd so when I found out that one of my favourite geography YouTube pages was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get it!
'This Way Up' is a delightful collection of anecdotes about inaccurate maps and their impact on history. Each chapter is fascinating and also hilarious full of the wonderfully dry, British humour one would expect from Foreman and Cooper-Jones.
My favourite topics discussed were the Donner Party, the history of mapping in the Soviet Union, and the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Nonetheless, every chapter is worth the read and a lot of fun.
I would also strongly recommend the audiobook, which is read by the authors and full of extra jokes and banter throughout.
I am a gigantic map nerd so when I found out that one of my favourite geography YouTube pages was coming out with a book, I knew I had to get it!
'This Way Up' is a delightful collection of anecdotes about inaccurate maps and their impact on history. Each chapter is fascinating and also hilarious full of the wonderfully dry, British humour one would expect from Foreman and Cooper-Jones.
My favourite topics discussed were the Donner Party, the history of mapping in the Soviet Union, and the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. Nonetheless, every chapter is worth the read and a lot of fun.
I would also strongly recommend the audiobook, which is read by the authors and full of extra jokes and banter throughout.
December 3, 2025
(4.5 stars) No secret i’m a bit of a geogradork so this book was right up my alley. While not all chapters are created equal, I feel like I closed this book having learned a lot and I had a lot of fun in reading it.
Maps are great tools that have helped generations navigate and explore this beautiful and twisted planet we live on. But it’s funny that one of my biggest takeaways is to put the map (aka phone) down and allow myself to get lost, flex that hippocampus, and essentially create a map that’s all my own.
I don’t know if the Map Men will ever read these reviews but THANK YOU. What a delight this was.
Maps are great tools that have helped generations navigate and explore this beautiful and twisted planet we live on. But it’s funny that one of my biggest takeaways is to put the map (aka phone) down and allow myself to get lost, flex that hippocampus, and essentially create a map that’s all my own.
I don’t know if the Map Men will ever read these reviews but THANK YOU. What a delight this was.
November 21, 2025
I’ve had a real love-hate relationship with YouTubers’ books of late, as often what works really well in video just doesn’t translate to written form. There are a few such misses in this (the entire chapter about the Oregon Trail done in the form of a podcast script for a fictional podcaster was a bit weird), but on the whole this plays off really well.
Thoroughly enjoyable and funny without that getting in the way of me actually learning a few new things too.
Thoroughly enjoyable and funny without that getting in the way of me actually learning a few new things too.
November 13, 2025
Kapitel schwanken von milde interessant bis hin zu tiefgründigen Gedankenanstößen. Leider hat mir der Humor und die oft ausladend, penetrante Form nicht zugesagt.
December 9, 2025
I enjoy a casual Map Men video on YouTube and I had spare audible credits when I saw them advertise this book. I thought why not and was pleasantly surprised.
I thought a lot of the ideas were generally quite well known in mapping worlds, but they told these stories in a very fun way. They took particular attention to ensuring the audiobook was a uniquely interesting time even when you can't actually see the maps without opening a PDF (something I didn't even think about until I started listening, oops).
Worth it for a little laugh and a little knowledge.
I thought a lot of the ideas were generally quite well known in mapping worlds, but they told these stories in a very fun way. They took particular attention to ensuring the audiobook was a uniquely interesting time even when you can't actually see the maps without opening a PDF (something I didn't even think about until I started listening, oops).
Worth it for a little laugh and a little knowledge.
December 10, 2025
Basically 16 episodes of Map Men smooshed into one book - loved it.
December 16, 2025
It's a fantastic book for any fellow map nerds.
Didn't enjoy a couple of the chapters.
Didn't enjoy a couple of the chapters.
December 27, 2025
Very entertaining and well written and it has lots of footnotes (my beloved)! If you watch their Youtube videos you will probably like this book, it is written in the exact same tone
December 3, 2025
Genuinely fascinating and hilarious, even if you're not into maps or the Map Men I'd say it makes for a fun, interesting read!
December 13, 2025
Good lord. Barely readable. Some of the most cringe writing I think I’ve ever encountered.
Gets 2 stars rather than 1 because I did manage to squeeze a little bit of learning out of this. But it was painful.
Gets 2 stars rather than 1 because I did manage to squeeze a little bit of learning out of this. But it was painful.
December 14, 2025
great audiobook to have on in the background. learned a lot of interesting facts.
November 24, 2025
This was absolutely fantastic. I loved the audiobook version; felt just like watching one of their videos. Very interesting stories (especially as it started with New Zealand!)
November 26, 2025
3.7 stars.
I wanted to love this book more than I did, because I love the authors' work on their YouTube channel, MapMen. They are smart and funny, as is the book. But the format choices on a couple of the chapters did become a wee bit tiresome. The upshot is that I would still recommend.
I wanted to love this book more than I did, because I love the authors' work on their YouTube channel, MapMen. They are smart and funny, as is the book. But the format choices on a couple of the chapters did become a wee bit tiresome. The upshot is that I would still recommend.
November 24, 2025
While I love the historical facts — I genuinely learned a great deal — I absolutely loathe the writing style. I didn’t laugh once and nearer the end of the book found myself rolling my eyes and skimming over swaths of the text because I knew it added nothing but pretty lame attempts at humour. The boys’ schtick works in other media, but not in book form. It just doesn’t. Really disappointing. I’ll be cautious before reading a book by a podcaster again.
November 8, 2025
Probably the shortest published-to-read book timeline of my life, but when I thought about the hours of entertainment gleaned from the YouTube series, I figured I owed something to show my appreciation.
The book straddles a tightrope (which taken literally, is a bad place to be) to both be the YouTube series, format and humor converted into writing, but also parleying the success of the channel to move into a more serious and 'public at large '-approachable pop-sci geography book. Different chapters lean more heavily one way or another but on the whole more towards the voice and skit-wit of the channel. Wrong choice? Right choice? I'm not sure. Maybe the book is specifically for the viewers as a "thank you for your support!". Some chapters the sketch-writing quality of it does go on longer than my appetite for it, but it does differentiate it from other topically similar books.
On the other hand though, as a vehicle for entering the mainstream and publishing more books? If that is even the goal; perhaps too couched in the voice of the MapMen. I'll be keen to see if there's another future book with more niche or deeper dives into specific subjects; many of these chapters are things you've probably read about or at least heard of if you're at all involved with geography. In stark contrast to the channel which can have videos with quite esoteric lines of inquiry.
Enjoyed! More videos and books please.
The book straddles a tightrope (which taken literally, is a bad place to be) to both be the YouTube series, format and humor converted into writing, but also parleying the success of the channel to move into a more serious and 'public at large '-approachable pop-sci geography book. Different chapters lean more heavily one way or another but on the whole more towards the voice and skit-wit of the channel. Wrong choice? Right choice? I'm not sure. Maybe the book is specifically for the viewers as a "thank you for your support!". Some chapters the sketch-writing quality of it does go on longer than my appetite for it, but it does differentiate it from other topically similar books.
On the other hand though, as a vehicle for entering the mainstream and publishing more books? If that is even the goal; perhaps too couched in the voice of the MapMen. I'll be keen to see if there's another future book with more niche or deeper dives into specific subjects; many of these chapters are things you've probably read about or at least heard of if you're at all involved with geography. In stark contrast to the channel which can have videos with quite esoteric lines of inquiry.
Enjoyed! More videos and books please.
December 27, 2025
A fun pop history of maps - and specifically mistakes, deliberate errors and other ways maps have been abused over the years. Even if you're a bit of a map nerd, you'll probably learn something new.
Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones run the YouTube channel Map Men, which would best be described as "If Monty Python were geography teachers". The book is written in exactly the same style, which can be very funny - if you're familiar with the show, you can hear their voices - but occasionally doesn't land in print (a chapter about the map that caused the infamous Donner Party disaster is written like a spoof true crime podcast that might be funny in the audiobook but really fizzles out when written down). If you're not familiar with their comedy, I'd recommend watching a couple of videos first to see if it's for you before buying the book.
Also, little message to the publisher - would it have killed you to nudge the printing resolution up a little for the maps? Or at least have increased the contrast. Some of the illustrations are basically grey smudges. This is a book about maps! Let us see some detail!
Jay Foreman and Mark Cooper-Jones run the YouTube channel Map Men, which would best be described as "If Monty Python were geography teachers". The book is written in exactly the same style, which can be very funny - if you're familiar with the show, you can hear their voices - but occasionally doesn't land in print (a chapter about the map that caused the infamous Donner Party disaster is written like a spoof true crime podcast that might be funny in the audiobook but really fizzles out when written down). If you're not familiar with their comedy, I'd recommend watching a couple of videos first to see if it's for you before buying the book.
Also, little message to the publisher - would it have killed you to nudge the printing resolution up a little for the maps? Or at least have increased the contrast. Some of the illustrations are basically grey smudges. This is a book about maps! Let us see some detail!
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