A History of the World in 12 MapsA New York Times Bestseller “Maps allow the armchair traveler to roam the world, the diplomat to argue his points, the ruler to administer his country, the warrior to plan his campaigns and the propagandist to boost his cause… rich and beautiful.” – Wall Street Journal Throughout history, maps have been fundamental in shaping our view of the world, and our place in it. But far from being purely scientific objects, maps of the world are unavoidably ideological and subjective, intimately bound up with the systems of power and authority of particular times and places. Mapmakers do not simply represent the world, they construct it out of the ideas of their age. In this scintillating book, Jerry Brotton examines the significance of 12 maps - from the almost mystical representations of ancient history to the satellite-derived imagery of today. He vividly recreates the environments and circumstances in which each of the maps was made, showing how each conveys a highly individual view of the world. Brotton shows how each of his maps both influenced and reflected contemporary events and how, by considering it in all its nuances and omissions, we can better understand the world that produced it. Although the way we map our surroundings is more precise than ever before, Brotton argues that maps today are no more definitive or objective than they have ever been. Readers of this beautifully illustrated and masterfully argued book will never look at a map in quite the same way again. “A fascinating and panoramic new history of the cartographer’s art.” |
Contents
1154 | vi |
Hereford Mappamundi c 1300 | xxv |
Kangnido World Map 1402 | xlvi |
Martin Waldseemüller World Map 1507 | lxix |
Diogo Ribeiro World Map 1529 | xcvii |
Gerard Mercator World Map 1569 | cxviii |
The Cassini Family Map of France 1793 | clxviii |
Halford Mackinder The Geographical Pivot of History 1904 | cxcvi |
The Peters Projection 1973 | ccxxi |
Google Earth 2012 | ccxliv |
The Eye of History? | cclxv |
Notes | 57 |
Acknowledgements | 75 |
Joan Blaeu Atlas maior 1662 | cxlvii |
Common terms and phrases
Africa America Asia astronomical Atlas maior atlases belief Blaeu calculations cartographic Cassini Castile Castilian centre century charts China Chinese Christian claims classical commercial continent cosmography creation cultural depiction described developed discovery dynasty early earth’s surface east emperor empire engraved Eratosthenes established Europe France geometry geospatial applications Gerard Mercator global Google Earth Google’s Greek heavens hemisphere Hereford map Hereford mappamundi History of Cartography Ibid imperial India Islamic islands Kangnido map kilometres King known world Korea land Library longitude Mackinder Mackinder’s Magellan map projections map’s mapmaking Martin Waldseemüller mathematical measurement medieval Mercator meridian method Moluccas Muslim navigation Peters Peters’s political Portuguese printed Ptolemy Ptolemy’s Geography published Quoted regions religious Renaissance represented reproduced Ribeiro Roger scale scholars scientific shape shows space subsequent survey territory tradition Universalis cosmographia Vespucci voyages Waldseemüller Waldseemüller map world map