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This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong [and Why It Matters]
From YouTube’s Map Men comes a funny and fascinating journey into the maps that messed up: big time!
In their long-awaited debut, Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman (aka the 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.
Packed with humor and fascinating facts, the book takes a deep dive into the world’s most baffling and absurd map blunders. From past miscalculations to modern mishaps, each chapter uncovers a unique tale of cartographic chaos—and the people responsible for it.
In their long-awaited debut, Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman (aka the 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.
Packed with humor and fascinating facts, the book takes a deep dive into the world’s most baffling and absurd map blunders. From past miscalculations to modern mishaps, each chapter uncovers a unique tale of cartographic chaos—and the people responsible for it.
384 pages, Hardcover
Published November 4, 2025
797 people are currently reading
6235 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
November 8, 2025
Perfect mix of funny and interesting. Map men map men map map map men men
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 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 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.
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 15, 2025
I love maps, but this book is extremely silly. Apparently these authors are youtubers. This book reads like a script for one of their videos: drawn-out to cram in as many ad breaks as possible, filled mainly with references to other corners of the internet (like reddit), and full of their incredibly unfunny humor. Pretty bad.
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.
January 25, 2026
I’m going to say straight off the bat that I wasn’t familiar with the authors’ YouTube channel prior to reading this book (or during or after reading the book) so if you’re a fan you can probably stop reading my review now because I think that’s why it wasn’t for me. If you’re into their thing you probably loved this book and that’s absolutely fair enough, but standing alone I wasn’t into their schtick. I just really love maps.
There were a couple of chapters in here that were excellent, mostly the ones where they dispensed with the accents and the trying-a-bit-too-hard-to-be-funny quips and just shared some cool information about the history of maps and how it influenced and was influenced by the societies in which they were made. The chapter on British broadcasting regions was very interesting, and the chapter on engineering Google Maps to suit India’s lack of street names and house numbers was absolutely fascinating.
On the other hand, some of the chapters were so unbelievably tedious I could barely get through them (and probably wouldn’t have if I had been reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook). The fake-podcast-script (complete with ad reads) chapter about the Donner Party was excruciating.
I waffled on 2 vs 3 stars so I'm rounding up because I do imagine that people who were already fans of the author will find what they're looking for here, but I don't find myself in that camp.
There were a couple of chapters in here that were excellent, mostly the ones where they dispensed with the accents and the trying-a-bit-too-hard-to-be-funny quips and just shared some cool information about the history of maps and how it influenced and was influenced by the societies in which they were made. The chapter on British broadcasting regions was very interesting, and the chapter on engineering Google Maps to suit India’s lack of street names and house numbers was absolutely fascinating.
On the other hand, some of the chapters were so unbelievably tedious I could barely get through them (and probably wouldn’t have if I had been reading the book rather than listening to the audiobook). The fake-podcast-script (complete with ad reads) chapter about the Donner Party was excruciating.
I waffled on 2 vs 3 stars so I'm rounding up because I do imagine that people who were already fans of the author will find what they're looking for here, but I don't find myself in that camp.
January 2, 2026
4.5 Stars rounded up.
I listened to this on audio and that experience actually works out wonderfully, though I do recommend checking out the maps when you are recommended to do so by the authors (who also narrate this audiobook, which I love)
Every single chapter here was well structured and super fun, though I do feel there was maybe less of a focus on maps than I was expecting? See this less as a book about maps generally, which is somewhat what i was expecting, and more so as a book collecting tales of important or interesting maps throughout history.
Very easy to read, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Absolutely wonderful, fun experience.
I listened to this on audio and that experience actually works out wonderfully, though I do recommend checking out the maps when you are recommended to do so by the authors (who also narrate this audiobook, which I love)
Every single chapter here was well structured and super fun, though I do feel there was maybe less of a focus on maps than I was expecting? See this less as a book about maps generally, which is somewhat what i was expecting, and more so as a book collecting tales of important or interesting maps throughout history.
Very easy to read, doesn’t take itself too seriously. Absolutely wonderful, fun experience.
January 2, 2026
Really it's a 2 and a half rating ( but Goodreads don't have halves)
Firstly, if you didn't know. this is written by the two guys that have (I hope) and reasonably popular, and IMO, very entertaining YouTube channel. This is their first book, and as I progressed thru the first half, I thought: That chapter would of been better as a YouTube video....and at the end, that's pretty much what I thought of almost all the book. So why isn't it? I don't know, you really have to ask them. I don't know if a book is a financially better money maker, if they just couldn't be bothered making the videos (so just gave you the scripts). But at the end of the day, with all their little quips, annotations and pictures. What would of been amusing, comedic, videos , felt more like a load of lectures written down, some with interesting facts, but just missing the comedy timing these guys show in their videos.
I wouldn't really recommend this as a book, just wait for them to realise what they are good at and watch the (hopefully) video they eventually make.
Firstly, if you didn't know. this is written by the two guys that have (I hope) and reasonably popular, and IMO, very entertaining YouTube channel. This is their first book, and as I progressed thru the first half, I thought: That chapter would of been better as a YouTube video....and at the end, that's pretty much what I thought of almost all the book. So why isn't it? I don't know, you really have to ask them. I don't know if a book is a financially better money maker, if they just couldn't be bothered making the videos (so just gave you the scripts). But at the end of the day, with all their little quips, annotations and pictures. What would of been amusing, comedic, videos , felt more like a load of lectures written down, some with interesting facts, but just missing the comedy timing these guys show in their videos.
I wouldn't really recommend this as a book, just wait for them to realise what they are good at and watch the (hopefully) video they eventually make.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
fascinating & funny, truly gave me a new kind of appreciation for maps. some of the more… experimental sections ran on a bit - felt like mark & jay writing comedy which probably would’ve worked better in video form
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.
January 11, 2026
A love letter to when Zoella wrote that book.
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Could have been 10 videos from their YouTube channel but that’s more of a compliment than a criticism, and I don’t think that would be true of a lot of YouTubers, even ones I like. Everything translates well to still be enjoyable as a book and it’s nice to support content creators you’ve been a fan of for literally a decade.
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One of the maps jokingly has 100 towns labelled and suggests the reader find the one error, which I think was Braintree and Bishop’s Stortford being switched in position? Surely that’s just for me?
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Could have been 10 videos from their YouTube channel but that’s more of a compliment than a criticism, and I don’t think that would be true of a lot of YouTubers, even ones I like. Everything translates well to still be enjoyable as a book and it’s nice to support content creators you’ve been a fan of for literally a decade.
-
One of the maps jokingly has 100 towns labelled and suggests the reader find the one error, which I think was Braintree and Bishop’s Stortford being switched in position? Surely that’s just for me?
January 18, 2026
So - and this might seem obvious - you won’t like this if you don’t like maps. It’s pretty map heavy. But if you do, there’s some really juicy stories in here, some of which will get me to read further about topics I never would have explored before. I haven’t watched any of the YouTube channel from the people that wrote this, I really enjoyed the humour in the book, but some of the chapters are formatted in a way I really couldn’t get on board with (one chapter is fully written as a podcast episode and I found myself skipping the formatting to get to the history. Fair play for actually publishing a fake website for the podcast host though).
January 24, 2026
I didn’t realize how much of a map nerd I was until I read this book and wow, what a fascinating read!
From the Age of Discovery to Westward Expansion to the Digital Age, people have used (or tried to use) some sort of map to get them from place to place. This book does a fantastic, whimsical job of the ups and downs of getting around.
Recommend for map lovers, history buffs, and people who enjoy learning random bits of information.
From the Age of Discovery to Westward Expansion to the Digital Age, people have used (or tried to use) some sort of map to get them from place to place. This book does a fantastic, whimsical job of the ups and downs of getting around.
Recommend for map lovers, history buffs, and people who enjoy learning random bits of information.
January 13, 2026
Sometimes the humor gets in the way of the facts in a way that bothered me but the information in this is interested me more than expected. I've never been the biggest geography nerd but this book kept my attention. And maybe the humor was a part of keeping that interest.
January 30, 2026
Enjoyable and easy to read. Informative, interesting and as much about history as it is about geography and maps. The only downside is it's meant to be humerous as well but some of the humour isn't that funny and was more of a hinderance than a help
November 21, 2025
Great, now I want to bombard my friends and family with all the fun facts and anecdotes I learned
January 10, 2026
Map men map men map map map men
men
men
January 21, 2026
Laughed and learned on near enough every page.
*Throws mobile phone handset into the sea (the blue bit)*
*Throws mobile phone handset into the sea (the blue bit)*
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.
December 29, 2025
Still fascinated by the existence of an audio version of this book (apparently it comes with pdfs)
January 16, 2026
This book tricked me into listening to Cotton Eye Joe
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.
January 25, 2026
5/5 recommend to every nerd out there
Read
January 9, 2026I enjoyed this a lot. Silly use of "cyrillic" but amazing chapter on the bikini atoll. If you like their videos, you'll like this book
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews