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Catalog

WORLD ATLASES

Cartographia

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

Each featuring spectacular examples of cartography over the ages, these sumputous gift books for the traveler reveal the history of exploration and civilization through the art of maps and mapmaking.

Atlas Maior

Atlas Maior

by Peter van der Krogt

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 626 PAGES

The richly embellished, gloriously annotated Baroque masterpiece by Joan Blaeu, one of the finest and most expensive atlases ever produced. Apart from the sheer beauty and exquisite cartographic marvels (including distinctive title art and foldout panels), the atlas opens a window onto the world of the 17th century. (MAP22, $69.99)

The Map Book

The Map Book

by Peter Barber

  • REFERENCE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 360 PAGES

A history of maps and mapping via 175 examples spanning ten centuries, from prehistoric rock art to the iconic 1933 diagram of the London Underground. (MAP19, $50.00)

Cities of the World, A History in Maps

Cities of the World, A History in Maps

by Peter Whitfield

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 208 PAGES

This handsome A-to-Z illuminates the development of great cities from Amsterdam and Cuzco to New York and Venice through stunning maps, plans and paintings from the British Library. (MAP21, $50.00)

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond

Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond

by Kenneth Nebenzahl

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2011
  • HARD COVER
  • 176 PAGES

This visually stunning collection of 80 rare illuminated manuscripts, early modern masterpieces and archival maps traces two millennia of exploration across Asia. (CAS113, $29.95)

Cartographia

by Vincent Virga

  • REFERENCE
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 272 PAGES

Two hundred spectacular, rare and illuminating maps from the Library of Congress trace the history of civilization, cultures and discovery. (MAP29, $60.00)

The Myth of Continents

The Myth of Continents

by Martin W. Lewis | Karen E. Wigen

  • REFERENCE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 344 PAGES

A geographer and historian at Duke, Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen deftly deconstruct basic notions of North, South, East and West in this eye-opening analysis of the politics, culture and history of map-making. The idea of seven continents, for example, isn't ancient and wide-spread: it was popularized by American school geography in the mid 20th Century. (GEO19, $28.95)

Why Geography Matters

Why Geography Matters

by Harm de Blij

  • REFERENCE
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Harm de Blij calls for a renewed focus on geography in this engaging, personal overview of today's geopolitical challenges, including climate change, the rise of China and global terrorism. With 47 maps and charts. (MAP20, $16.95)

 
From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame

From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame


by Mark Monmonier

  • REFERENCE
  • 2006
  • HARD COVER
  • 215 PAGES

Monmonier enlightens, illuminates and entertains in this deft analysis of the politics and history of place names. (MAP26, $25.00)

Infinite City, A San Francisco Atlas

Infinite City, A San Francisco Atlas


by Rebecca Solnit

  • REFERENCE
  • 2010
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Solnit's quirky collection of maps documents a surprising San Francisco document the cultural riches and diversity of the city including, for example, "Dharma Wheels and Fish Ladders" pinpoints Zen Buddhism centers along with salmon hatcheries, streams and viewing sites. (SFO55, $24.95)

Mapping America, Exploring the Continent

Mapping America, Exploring the Continent


by Duncan McCorquodale

  • REFERENCE
  • 2010
  • HARD COVER
  • 240 PAGES

From early colonial engravings to artistic renderings of contemporary America, this artistic compendium for map-lovers gathers four centuries of maps of the United States. (USA426, $45.00)

Maps, Finding Our Place in the World

Maps, Finding Our Place in the World


by James Akerman | Robert W. Karrow

  • REFERENCE
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 336 PAGES

In this cartogaphic celebration, Akerman and Karrow show that maps both record and make history though 198 diverse, color stunning examples drawn from ancient times to today. The companion volume to an exhbition at the Field Museum in Chicao, it includes beautiful and rare maps by Ptolomy, Hernan Cortes, Leonardo da Vinci and Sir Thomas More. (MAP28, $65.00)

Psychogeography


by Will Self

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 2007
  • HARD COVER
  • 256 PAGES

A collection of Self's columns for The Independent on walking, place and people with 50 llustrations by gonzo artist Ralph Steadman. (TVL130, $34.95)

You Are Here, Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination

You Are Here, Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination


by Katharine Harmon

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES

An eclectic and though-provoking collection of inventive maps by artists and students. (GEO26, $24.95)

Transit Maps of the World

Transit Maps of the World


by Mark Ovenden

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 144 PAGES

Name a city with an urban rail system and you'll find it in Mark Ovenden's hyper-colorful guide and celebration of design, subterranean transport and cartography, including maps, diagrams, plans and photographs for very metro, subway, u-bahn and other urban trains. (WLD115, $25.00)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.