Maps: Their Untold Stories

Product Description

Maps: Their Untold Stories, a magnificent collection drawn from seven centuries of maps held in the National Archives at Kew, presents a variety of maps, from those found in 14th Century manuscripts, through early estate maps, to sea charts, maps used in military campaigns, & maps from treaties. The text explores who the mapmakers were, the purposes for which the maps were made, & what it tells us about the politics of the time. Maps are snapshots of a place, a city, a nation or even the world at a given point in time
- fascinating for what they tell us about the way our ancestors saw themselves, their neighbours & their place in the world. In this beautiful collection great images are accompanied by compelling stories. Featured is a woodcut map of 16th Century London, a map of where the bombs fell during the Second World War, & a map the first American settlers` drew when they were attempting to establish a new empire on Roanoke Island off the coast of what is now North Carolina. Richly illustrated with large scale reproductions of the maps, the book also

Includes:: some of the more amusing or esoteric maps from the National Archives, such as the map of the Great Exhibition in 1851 that was presented on a lady`s glove, a London Underground map in the form of a cucumber, & a Treasure Island map used to advertise National Savings. This is a fascinating & unusual journey through the world of maps & mapmakers.