Mapping the World

Mapping the World

More than the detailed representation of the geographical areas that their makers explored, maps reveal their makers’ worldview as well as the myths, beliefs and legends of their times. By patiently creating maps, globes, charts and atlases, humans have sought to understand the universe and our place in it. Caroline and Martine Laffon’s Mapping the World is a gorgeously illustrated history of explorers’ maps and a probing look at the questions they answer. It explores many rare and fascinating mapping artifacts, beginning with the first crude drawings and progressing to the stunning satellite views of today. Color reproductions of beautiful maps and charts include a Chinese map dated to 1229 that shows the city’s bridges, pagodas and gardens; a French 15th-century interpretation of the four corners of the Earth; and a map of the cosmos as it was imagined in 1750. Many of these examples will be unfamiliar even to serious cartographers and collectors. Thirty essays answer the questions mapmakers have asked and reveal the roles their maps played in finding those answers. A beautiful tribute to the mapmaker’s art and craft, Mapping the World puts the meaning of cartography in a new context.

Hardcover: 188 pages

Publisher: Firefly Books ( September 01, 2009 )

Item #: 62-6883

ISBN: 9781554075256

Product Dimensions: 10.25 x 11.75 x 0.0 inches

Product Weight: 48.0 ounces