The Power of MapsThe author shows how maps are made to appear as unbiased reference objects, though they actually depict, like a photograph, a subjective point of view. He discusses the signs and myths inherent in maps and suggests ways to decode the interests implicit in their representation. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - lisapeet - LibraryThingMapping philosophy with a twist of curmudgeonliness, parsing cartography from the top down: the power structure, the agendas, the symbology, the unstated. You get a healthy dose of mapmaking semiotics ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - JenneB - LibraryThingI really enjoyed this--the sociology and semiotics of maps was not something I every really thought about before. The guy's writing style is kind of entertaining--he has this habit of using a lot of ellipses and. . .italics. Which gives you the impression that he is deeply. . .stoned. Read full review
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Maps Work by Serving Interests | 4 |
Maps Make the Past and Future Present | 7 |
Maps Link the Territory with What Comes with It | 10 |
Maps Enable Our Living | 12 |
One Map Use Many Ways of Living | 16 |
Maps Construct Not Reproduce the World | 17 |
Every Map Has an Author a Subject a Theme | 22 |
The Interest Is Embodied in the Map in Signs and Myths | 95 |
Legends | 96 |
Myths | 101 |
Codes | 108 |
Ten Cartographic Codes | 111 |
Intrasignification | 116 |
Iconic Codes | 117 |
Linguistic Codes | 122 |
Suspended Between Faith and Doubt | 26 |
Maps Are Embedded in a History They Help Construct | 28 |
Maps Themselves Dont Grow or Develop | 30 |
But Mapping and Mapmaking Do | 32 |
To Live MapImmersed in the World | 34 |
Some Societies Are Bigger Than Others | 38 |
Some Societies Are More Developed | 39 |
Our Histories Entwined Are Different | 42 |
Every Map Shows This But Not That | 48 |
The Dividing Up of the Reality | 51 |
The Code Between the Object and Its Image | 54 |
The Mathematical Transformation of the Object | 56 |
Night and Day You Are the One | 61 |
Blue Skies Shining On Me | 63 |
What Is the Map For? | 64 |
The Interest the Map Serves Is Masked | 70 |
The Naturalization of the Cultural | 76 |
The Culturalization of Natural | 78 |
The Wanaque Topographic Quadrangle | 79 |
Shows Only Selected Features | 81 |
The Wanaque Quadrangle Only Shows Cheap Features | 84 |
Cheap Maps Are Silent | 85 |
Legible Features on the Wanaque Quadrangle | 87 |
What Are We Looking for in New Jersey? | 89 |
Suddenly the Map Looks Different | 91 |
Tectonic Codes | 124 |
Temporal Codes | 125 |
Presentational Codes | 130 |
Sign Functions | 132 |
Elemental Signs | 133 |
Sign Systems | 137 |
Synthesis | 138 |
Presentation | 140 |
Each Sign Has a History | 143 |
A Brief History of the Hillsign | 145 |
Hillsigning Among Contemporary Americans | 154 |
The Sequence in Which Children Acquire Hillsigns Parallels That in Which They Were Acquired in Our History of Mapmaking | 158 |
The Mastery of Millsigning in Contemporary Kids | 159 |
The Hillsigning of the Contemporary Child in Context | 171 |
The Development of Hillsigns | 173 |
Hillsigns of the Future | 178 |
The Interest the Map Serves Can Be Yours | 182 |
Anybody Can Make a Map | 184 |
Maps Are Moments in the Process of DecisionMaking | 185 |
Maps Are Heavy Responsibilities | 188 |
Maps Empower By Working | 192 |
NOTES | 196 |
| 243 | |
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Common terms and phrases
American appears Atlas blue boundaries cartographic color complete construction conventions course culture draw drawn early earth edition effect elements example existence fact field function Geographic graphic hand hard highway hills hillsigns human iconic illustrations important interest it's kind Lake land language legend less linguistic living look mapmaking marks matter means mountain names natural never North Carolina Notes object observed once original past photograph picture powerful precisely present Press problem produced projection published question reality recorded reference relief represent representation river road satellite scale seen selected sense signifier signs social society space surface Survey symbols taken things turn United University whole writing York
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Power of Maps A Guilford series Mappings : Society/Theory/Space Mappings Series |
| Authors | Denis Wood, John Fels |
| Edition | illustrated, revised |
| Publisher | Guilford Press, 1992 |
| ISBN | 0898624932, 9780898624939 |
| Length | 248 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / Earth Sciences / Geography Social Science / Human Geography Technology & Engineering / Cartography Travel / Maps & Road Atlases |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |