Mapping Asia presents an authoritative selection of the most important antique maps of Asia & the Middle East produced from the time of Alexander the Great to the early nineteenth century, by cartographers from Engl&, France, Portugal, Holl&, Turkey, Italy, & China. A fascinating visual chronicle of the maps & their makers, this book explores the history of Europe`s discovery of lands to the east, from Constantinople to present-day Alaska. It tells the stories of the thriving trade that linked east & west beginning with the ancient Silk Road, the explorers
- such as Magellan & Sir Francis Drake
- who continually searched for new lands & routes to reach the east beginning in the fifteenth century, & the indigenous peoples who struggled to retain their autonomy in the face of European missionary activity & influence. Mapping Asia reproduces in full color 80 beautifully rendered & rare maps, more than 40 of which have never been published for the general public. Each map is accompanied by an accessible essay that provides extensive background on the mapmaker & how the map was originally produced, & describes the geography, sites, & details on the map. Most

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Today the world is focusing unprecedented attention on Asia & the Middle East
- rediscovering a cultural, political, & geographical
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” Mapping the Universe: the Interactive History of Astronomy” is the story of man`s quest through the ages to unlock the secrets of our universe, understand where we come from & where we are going. Lavishly illustrated throughout, it follows this journey for knowledge from the first musings of Stone Age people on the position of the stars & planets in the sky, to Galileo`s first visions of Orion through a telescope, to our first steps on the moon, & right up to the photographs of our magnificent universe which are being sent back from the Plank telescope today. Beautifully reproduced documents make it possible for the reader to experience hands-on, & appreciate at each stage, what over ten thousand years of history astronomers were discovering, & how & why this was significant. ...

Mapping the World takes you on a journey through the history of cartography & is essentially a history of the world & how its territories were discovered & explored. Maps have been an integral part of the way humans have lived for Approx. 8, 000 years. The first accurate maps were produced in Ancient Babylonia. The earliest world map is the Babylonian World Map, which is symbolic & not an exact representation. It deliberately doesn`t include the Persians or the Egyptians. The Ancient Greeks also produced maps, although they were mostly imaginary reconstructions of the world. Maps have been crucial in the development of empires, have helped to win wars, & have encouraged man to venture further than his or her known boundaries. Beautifully illustrated, Mapping the World is a fascinating look at how the science of cartography developed, how maps are used not just for getting from A to B, & why cartography is so important to our history of the world & the world we live in. Nowadays, we take the use of Sat Nav & Google maps for granted, but this book reflects on the fact that it all began with human imagination & the desire for knowledge. ...

Mapping Time is an account for the general reader of the history & underlying basis of each of the most important calendars of the world, from antiquity to modern times. There are descriptions of prehistoric calendars, of those devised by the Egyptians, the Mayans, the Aztecs, & other civilizations, of the short-lived French Republican calendar, which introduced a ten-day week, & of our present-day Gregorian calendar. This fascinating & highly entertaining book is the perfect guide to understanding the background of time in the run up to the millennium. `an easily accessible mine of material` TLS ` Richards makes even the most arcane complications arising from the accident of Earth`s spin & orbit seem fascinating` New Scientist. ...

This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis. The maps show not only borders, cities, rivers, & peaks, but also places of historical & cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals & plants, cultural events & many more fascinating facts associated with every region. ...

We all rely on the apparent accuracy & objectivity of maps, but often do not see the very process of mapping as political. Are the power & purpose of maps inherently political? Maps & Politics addresses this important question & seeks to emphasize that the apparent objectivity' of the map-making & map-using process cannot be divorced from aspects of the politics of representation. Maps have played, & continue to play, a major role in both international & domestic politics. They show how visual geographical representations can be made to reflect & advance political agendas in powerful ways. The major developments in this field over the last century are responses both to cartographic progression & to a greater emphasis on graphic imagery in societies affected by politicization, democratization, & consumer & cultural shifts. Jeremy Black asks whether bias-free cartography is possible & demonstrates that maps are not straight-forward visual texts, but contain political & politicizing subtexts that need to be read with care. ...

Maps are universal forms of communication, easily understood & appreciated regardless of culture or language. This truly magisterial book introduces readers to the widest range of maps ever considered in one

Volume: maps from different time periods & a variety of cultures; maps made for divergent purposes & depicting a range of environments; & maps that embody the famous, the important, the beautiful, the groundbreaking, & the amusing. Built around the functions of maps
- the kinds of things maps do & have done
- maps confirms the vital role of maps throughout history in commerce, art, literature, & national identity. The book begins by examining the use of maps for wayfinding, revealing that even maps as common & widely used as these products of historical circumstances & cultural differences. The second chapter considers maps whose makers employed the smallest of scales to envision the broadest of human stages
- the world, the heavens, even the act of creation itself. The next chapter looks at maps that are, literally, at the opposite end of the scale from cosmological & world maps
- maps that represent specific parts of the world & provide a close-up view of areas in which their makers lived, worked, & moved. Having shown how maps help us get around & make sense of our greater & lesser worlds, ” Maps” then turns to the ways in which certain maps can be linked to particular events in history, exploring how they have helped Americans, for instance, to understand their past, cope with current events, & plan their national future. The fifth chapter considers maps that represent data from scientific instruments, population censuses, & historical records. These maps illustrate, for example, how diseases spread, what the ocean floor looks like, & how the weather is tracked & predicted. Next comes a turn to the imaginary, featuring maps that depict entire fictional worlds, from Hell to Utopia & from Middle Earth to the fantasy game World of Warcraft. The final chapter traces the origins of map consumption throughout history & ponders the impact of cartography on modern society.A companion volume to the most ambitious exhibition on the history of maps ever mounted in North America, ” Maps” will challenge readers to stretch conventional thought about what constitutes a map & how many different ways we can understand graphically the environment in which we live. Collectors, historians, mapmakers & users, & anyone who has ever ”gotten lost” in the lines & symbols of a map will find much to love & learn from in this book.





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Pepin Letter Writing Sets come in carefully designed luxury boxes. Each box contains 10 sheets of 4 different designs (printed ...

Following the best-selling Maps, the Mizielinskis return with a companion activity book. Bursting with fascinating facts & puzzles from around the world, this book offers hours of entertainment to young adventurers. Informative & inspiring, the myriad activities in this book challenge the reader to discover something new & explore their imagination to draw, decorate & design every pull-out page. ...