Maps fascinate us. They chart our understanding of the world & they log our progress but above all they tell our stories. From the early sketches of philosophers & explorers through to Google Maps & beyond Simon Garfield examines how maps both relate & realign our history. His compelling narratives range from the quest to create the perfect globe to the challenges of mapping Africa & Antarctica from spellbinding treasure maps to the naming of America from Ordnance Survey to the mapping of Monopoly & Skyrim & from rare map dealers to cartographic frauds. En route there are pocket map tales on dragons & undergrounds a nineteenth century murder map the research conducted on the different ways that men & women approach a map & an explanation of the curious long-term cartographic role played by animals. On The Map is a witty & irrepressible examination of where weve been how we got there & where were going.