Publisher's Synopsis
Cartography enthusiasts rejoice: the bestselling author ofJust My Typereveals the fascinating relationship between man and map.
Simon Garfield’sJust My Typeilluminated the world of fonts and made everyone take a stand on Comic Sans and care about kerning. Now Garfield takes on a subject even dearer to our fanatical human hearts: maps.
Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping—not language—is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom. Follow the history of maps from the early explorers’ maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history—and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human.
Featuring a foreword by Dava Sobel and packed with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities, and amusing “pocket maps” on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the strangest maps on the Internet,On the Mapis a rich historical tapestry infused with Garfield’s signature narrative flair. Map-obsessives and everyone who lovedJust My Typewill be lining up to join Garfield on his audacious journey through time and around the globe.
