The remarkable story of the cartographic masterpiece--the Venetian mappa mundi--that revolutionized how we see the world. In 1459 a Venetian monk named Fra Mauro completed an astonishing map of the world. Seven feet in diameter, Fra Mauro's mappamundi is the oldest and most complete Medieval map to survive into modernity. And in its time, this groundbreaking mappamundi provided the most detailed description of the known world, incorporating accurate observation, and geographic reality, urging viewers to see water and land as they really existed. Fra Mauro's map was the first in history to show that a ship could circumnavigate Africa, and that the Indian "Sea" was in fact an ocean, enabling international trade to expand across the globe. Acclaimed anthropologist Meredith F. Small reveals how Fra Mauro's mappamundi made cartography into a science rather than a practice based on religion and ancient myths. Here Begins the Dark Sea brings Fra Mauro's masterpiece to life as a work of art and a window into Venetian society and culture. In telling the story of this cornerstone of modern cartography, Small takes the reader on a fascinating journey as she explores the human urge to find our way. Here Begins the Dark Sea is a riveting testament to the undeniable impact Fra Mauro and his mappamundi have had over the past five centuries and still holds relevance today.
The city: a concept nearly as old as history itself, it is a paradox of human innovation and intervention, order and conflict. From ancient civilizations to modern-day metropolises, maps have played a crucial role in urban progress. This book explores the development of cities through more than 70 captivating maps.
Each map in this beautifully designed volume gives a unique visual representation of and historical context to the city it surveys. Spanning more than 9,000 years, this book expertly curates more than 70 historical maps which tell the fascinating story of human civilization: from cities founded on sacred places, ideas and power, to early examples of town planning and later innovations such as skyscrapers and urban transport.
Featuring maps of renowned capital cities as well as lesser-known urban areas, including:
An ideal book for map and history lovers. For more in this series try History of World Trade in Maps (9780008409296) and History of War in Maps(9780008506490).
The first international history of railroads and railroad infrastructure told through stunningly reproduced maps.
Since their origins in eighteenth-century England, railroads have spread across the globe, changing everything in their path, from where and how people grew and made things to where and how they lived and moved. Railroads rewrote not only world geography but also the history of maps and mapping. Today, the needs of train companies and their users continue to shape the maps we consume and consult.
Featuring full-color maps primarily from the British Library's distinguished collection--many of them never before published--A History of the Railroad in 100 Maps is the first international history of railroads and railroad infrastructure told through maps. Jeremy Black includes examples from six continents, spanning a variety of uses from railroad planning and operations to guides for passengers, shippers, and tourists.
Arranged chronologically, the maps are accompanied by explanatory text that sheds light on the political, military, and urban development histories associated with the spread of railroads. A final chapter considers railroad maps from games, books, and other cultural artifacts. For anyone interested in the history of railroads or maps, A History of the Railroad in 100 Maps will offer new and unexpected insights into their intertwined global history.
This visually stunning collection of iconic and historic subway, light rail, and streetcar maps from fifty of the world's most exciting cities is a map- and transit-lover's dream. Transport maps are some of the most frequently consulted and memorized navigation tools on earth. Millions use them daily to guide their journeys. Some have gained such familiarity they're revered as design classics, hunted by collectors. Taken for granted, without these everyday objects passengers would quite literally be lost without them. Best-selling author, Mark Ovenden who curated this collection dating from their earliest appearance 160 years ago, dissects the design decisions which led to today's intelligent wayfinding tools. Divided by continent, it features archival and modern maps from a dizzying array of locations--from Algiers and Cape Town; Boston and Chicago; Mexico City and Montreal; Bangkok and Beijing; Delhi and Doha; Amsterdam and Prague; to Auckland and Sydney.
Perfect for the seasoned traveler, transit enthusiast, or anyone intrigued by the art and science of mapmaking this book provides a unique and informative exploration of urban mobility as it celebrates the functionality, universal appeal, and iconic status of transit maps.
Perfect for the seasoned traveler, transit enthusiast, or anyone intrigued by the art and science of mapmaking this book provides a unique and informative exploration of urban mobility as it celebrates the functionality, universal appeal, and iconic status of transit maps.
En suivant des modèles de conduite erronés, l'humanité, désorientée, avance vers un désastre écologique provoqué par ses propres actions et apparemment inévitable. Le cycle de la vie a été interrompu lorsque le charbon enfoui depuis des millénaires a été sorti de terre pour produire de l'électricité et a contaminé l'atmosphère; à l'instar de l'atome, qui en se cassant, libère de l'énergie mais détruit les êtres humains. Cependant, Il existe des sociétés qui ont vécu tout au long de l'histoire et jusqu'à nos jours en harmonie avec la Nature et les êtres qui l'habitent. C'est le cas des communautés indigènes mexicaines qui ont beaucoup à nous dire, car ce sont elles qui conservent les connaissances nécessaires pour revenir à la terre-mère
Embark on an imaginative adventure with the Lord of Maps Draws a Map book! This is a how-to-draw-a-map book disguised as a childrens book. Follow a brave tortoise that learns to create worlds with a magic feather pen. At the end of the book are some tips and tricks for how to draw maps as well as some practice pages. With each turn of the page, you'll be captivated by the intricate illustrations that bring this story to life. Whether you're a map enthusiast or simply appreciate the art of storytelling, this delightful book is sure to spark your creativity and ignite your sense of wonder. Measuring 8 inches by 10 inches, it's the perfect size for cozy reading sessions or to proudly display on your bookshelf. Immerse yourself in this enchanting world and let the Lord of Maps guide you on an unforgettable journey.
For many, a map is nothing more than a tool used to determine the location or distribution of something-a country, a city, or a natural resource. But maps reveal much more: to really read a map means to examine what it shows and what it doesn't, and to ask who made it, why, and for whom. The contributors to this new volume ask these sorts of questions about maps of Latin America, and in doing so illuminate the ways cartography has helped to shape this region from the Rio Grande to Patagonia.
In Mapping Latin America, Jordana Dym and Karl Offen bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines to examine and interpret more than five centuries of Latin American maps.Individual chapters take on maps of every size and scale and from a wide variety of mapmakers-from the hand-drawn maps of Native Americans, to those by famed explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt, to those produced in today's newspapers and magazines for the general public. The maps collected here, and the interpretations that accompany them, provide an excellent source to help readers better understand how Latin American countries, regions, provinces, and municipalities came to be defined, measured, organized, occupied, settled, disputed, and understood-that is, how they came to have specific meanings to specific people at specific moments in time.
The first book to deal with the broad sweep of mapping activities across Latin America, this lavishly illustrated volume will be required reading for students and scholars of geography and Latin American history, and anyone interested in understanding the significance of maps in human cultures and societies.
For many, a map is nothing more than a tool used to determine the location or distribution of something—a country, a city, or a natural resource. But maps reveal much more: to really read a map means to examine what it shows and what it doesn’t, and to ask who made it, why, and for whom. The contributors to this new volume ask these sorts of questions about maps of Latin America, and in doing so illuminate the ways cartography has helped to shape this region from the Rio Grande to Patagonia.
In Mapping Latin America,Jordana Dym and Karl Offen bring together scholars from a wide range of disciplines to examine and interpret more than five centuries of Latin American maps.Individual chapters take on maps of every size and scale and from a wide variety of mapmakers—from the hand-drawn maps of Native Americans, to those by famed explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt, to those produced in today’s newspapers and magazines for the general public. The maps collected here, and the interpretations that accompany them, provide an excellent source to help readers better understand how Latin American countries, regions, provinces, and municipalities came to be defined, measured, organized, occupied, settled, disputed, and understood—that is, how they came to have specific meanings to specific people at specific moments in time.
The first book to deal with the broad sweep of mapping activities across Latin America, this lavishly illustrated volume will be required reading for students and scholars of geography and Latin American history, and anyone interested in understanding the significance of maps in human cultures and societies.
Maps are inherently unnatural. Projecting three-dimensional realities onto two-dimensional surfaces, they are abstractions that capture someone's idea of what matters within a particular place; they require selections and omissions. These very characteristics, however, give maps their importance for understanding how humans have interacted with the natural world, and give historical maps, especially, the power to provide rich insights into the relationship between humans and nature over time. That is just what is achieved in Mapping Nature across the Americas. Illustrated throughout, the essays in this book argue for greater analysis of historical maps in the field of environmental history, and for greater attention within the field of the history of cartography to the cultural constructions of nature contained within maps. This volume thus provides the first in-depth and interdisciplinary investigation of the relationship between maps and environmental knowledge in the Americas--including, for example, stories of indigenous cartography in Mexico, the allegorical presence of palm trees in maps of Argentina, the systemic mapping of US forests, and the scientific platting of Canada's remote lands.
For more than four decades, 1965-2008, Jossy and Ken Nebenzahl have traveled the world; from the sands of Arabia to the Mogolian outback, Khyber Pass tothe Strait of Hormuz, from Himalaya to Papua New Guinea. Traveling by freighter, camel, dugout canoe, hot air balloon, antique aircraft and by their own rapidly toughening feet.
This book encapsulates their journals and photographs into a memoir that captures the exhilaration of setting off into the wild blue with little more than curiosity and a bedroll.
Instructive, amusing, colorful--pictorial maps have been used and admired since the first medieval cartographer put pen to paper depicting mountains and trees across countries, people and objects around margins, and sea monsters in oceans. More recent generations of pictorial map artists have continued that traditional mixture of whimsy and fact, combining cartographic elements with text and images and featuring bold and arresting designs, bright and cheerful colors, and lively detail. In the United States, the art form flourished from the 1920s through the 1970s, when thousands of innovative maps were mass-produced for use as advertisements and decorative objects--the golden age of American pictorial maps. Picturing America is the first book to showcase this vivid and popular genre of maps. Geographer Stephen J. Hornsby gathers together 158 delightful pictorial jewels, most drawn from the extensive collections of the Library of Congress. In his informative introduction, Hornsby outlines the development of the cartographic form, identifies several representative artists, describes the process of creating a pictorial map, and considers the significance of the form in the history of Western cartography. Organized into six thematic sections, Picturing America covers a vast swath of the pictorial map tradition during its golden age, ranging from "Maps to Amuse" to "Maps for War." Hornsby has unearthed the most fascinating and visually striking maps the United States has to offer: Disney cartoon maps, college campus maps, kooky state tourism ads, World War II promotional posters, and many more. This remarkable, charming volume's glorious full-color pictorial maps will be irresistible to any map lover or armchair traveler.