#great maps

Yesterday we received one of our favourite books back in store; Great Maps. Not only is this book a fascinating read, but it will be the most beautiful book in your library! Designed with a stunning medieval map on the front and back covers, then topped off with eye-catching gold detailing too.

Great Maps takes a close look at the history of maps, from ancient maps such as medieval mappae mundi to Google Earth. Why do we put north at the top of maps? Which maps show us the way to Heaven, and which show the "land of no sunshine" or the land of "people with no bowels"? In Great Maps, author and historian Jerry Brotton tells the hidden story behind more than 60 of the most significant maps from around the world, picking out key features, stories, and techniques in rich visual detail to reveal the inner meaning buried within the landscape. Maps are not just geographical data: they reflect a particular ideological, historical, or cultural context.

The history of humankind — in 5 maps

Maps, says Great Maps author and historian Jerry Brotton, are more than a geographic object, a tool to get us from point A to B. From the ancient Greeks to Google Earth, all human cultures have had an innate urge to map. 

But historically, maps were inherently shaped by the people who create them — and used to accomplish geopolitical ends. Brotton's Great Maps, a visual overview of the history and politics of geography, teases out this goal.