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Edinburgh: Mapping the City
Maps can tell much about the story of a place that traditional histories fail to communicate. This is particularly true of Edinburgh, one of the most visually stunning cities in Europe and a place rich in historical and cultural associations. This lavishly illustrated book features 80 maps of Edinburgh that have been selected for the particular stories they reveal about different political, commercial, and social aspects of the region. Together, they present a fascinating insight into how Edinburgh has changed and developed over the last 500 years, and will appeal to all those with an interest in Edinburgh and Scottish history, as well as anyone interested in urban history, architectural history, town planning, and the history of cartography.
303 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2014
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February 4, 2025
Honestly, this was a thrill. A splendid tome, the kind of thing you could pore over for hours in a coffee shop, getting lost in the minute details.
This book features 71 maps of Edinburgh and a few pages of history and context for each - anything and everything, from maps of planned electric street lamp paths, to sewer maps, typhoid outbreak maps, slum clearance plans, tram line maps, maps of postwar motorway development that (thank God) never came to fruition, maps of German bombing targets, even maps of Soviet tank invasion plans; there are geologic maps, touristic maps, nautical maps, historical maps, futuristic maps, maps with minute precise details and maps sprinkled with the imaginary, the allegorical, with political undertones and subliminal messages.
This volume contains beautiful full-page spread printings of a great deal of gorgeous, quirky, informative maps that showcase the unique ability of maps to bring new understandings of our world - and the authors provide excellent context and new shades of meaning to the maps in the accompanying pages.
Favourite maps included: Edinodunensis by James Gordon (1647), the exceptionally beautiful The North Prospect of the City of Edinburgh by John Slezer (1710), the Panorama of Edinburgh From Calton Hill by Robert Barker (1790), the nautical Survey of the Frith of Forth by George Thomas (1815), the pretty pastel SDUK map (1834), the Map of the Distribution of Typhoid Cases by HH Littlejohns (1891), the Chronological Map of Edinburgh Showing Expansion of the City from Earliest Days to the Present by JG Bartholomew (1919), and the German bombing map (1941).
The typhoid map - which allowed the doctor who created it to track a typhoid outbreak to a particular milk supplier - recalled another book I read about urban mapping for epidemics: link: The Ghost Map. And indeed, Dr. Snow of the London cholera map is what inspired the Edinburgh doctor who created the typhoid map - I just love when my reading links up with itself!
The German bombing map of Edinburgh - which is basically a civilian map with an overlay of red symbols designated prime bombing targets in World War 2 (including railway/bus stations, hospitals, bridges, industrial factories, and “art collections/cultural monuments” - like the university’s Old College and the National Museum of Scotland, where I sometimes spend my lunchtime when I’m in the office) - this was utterly chilling to see on paper.
Anyway, I could keep talking about this book for hours - such an incredible compilation, so much work was put into the research - suffice it to say, if you live in, work in, or just love the city of Edinburgh and its history and want to view it in a new way, this is the book.
This book features 71 maps of Edinburgh and a few pages of history and context for each - anything and everything, from maps of planned electric street lamp paths, to sewer maps, typhoid outbreak maps, slum clearance plans, tram line maps, maps of postwar motorway development that (thank God) never came to fruition, maps of German bombing targets, even maps of Soviet tank invasion plans; there are geologic maps, touristic maps, nautical maps, historical maps, futuristic maps, maps with minute precise details and maps sprinkled with the imaginary, the allegorical, with political undertones and subliminal messages.
This volume contains beautiful full-page spread printings of a great deal of gorgeous, quirky, informative maps that showcase the unique ability of maps to bring new understandings of our world - and the authors provide excellent context and new shades of meaning to the maps in the accompanying pages.
Favourite maps included: Edinodunensis by James Gordon (1647), the exceptionally beautiful The North Prospect of the City of Edinburgh by John Slezer (1710), the Panorama of Edinburgh From Calton Hill by Robert Barker (1790), the nautical Survey of the Frith of Forth by George Thomas (1815), the pretty pastel SDUK map (1834), the Map of the Distribution of Typhoid Cases by HH Littlejohns (1891), the Chronological Map of Edinburgh Showing Expansion of the City from Earliest Days to the Present by JG Bartholomew (1919), and the German bombing map (1941).
The typhoid map - which allowed the doctor who created it to track a typhoid outbreak to a particular milk supplier - recalled another book I read about urban mapping for epidemics: link: The Ghost Map. And indeed, Dr. Snow of the London cholera map is what inspired the Edinburgh doctor who created the typhoid map - I just love when my reading links up with itself!
The German bombing map of Edinburgh - which is basically a civilian map with an overlay of red symbols designated prime bombing targets in World War 2 (including railway/bus stations, hospitals, bridges, industrial factories, and “art collections/cultural monuments” - like the university’s Old College and the National Museum of Scotland, where I sometimes spend my lunchtime when I’m in the office) - this was utterly chilling to see on paper.
Anyway, I could keep talking about this book for hours - such an incredible compilation, so much work was put into the research - suffice it to say, if you live in, work in, or just love the city of Edinburgh and its history and want to view it in a new way, this is the book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review