Map

300 stunning maps from all periods and from all around the world, exploring and revealing what maps tell us about history and ourselves. Map, Exploring the World brings together more than 300 fascinating maps from the birth of cartography to cutting-edge digital maps of the twenty-fist century. The book's unique arrangement, with the maps organized in complimentary or contrasting pairs, reveals how the history of our attempts to make flat representations of the world has been full of beauty, ingenuity and innovation. Selected by an international panel of curators, academics and collectors, the maps reflect the many reasons people make maps, such as to find their way, to assert ownership, to record human activity, to establish control, to encourage settlement, to plan military campaigns or to show political power. The selection includes the greatest names in cartography, such as James Cook, Gerard Mercator, Matthew Fontaine Maury and Phyllis Pearsall, as well as maps from indigenous cultures around the world, rarely seen maps from lesser known cartographers, and maps of outstanding beauty and surprising individuality from the current generation of map makers. Advisory panel: Lauren Beck, Daniel Crouch, Catherine Dunlop, Daniel Huffman, Kimberly Kowal, P.J. Mode, Peter Nekola, Richard Pflederer, Dennis P. Reinhartz, David Rumsey, Susan Schulten, Patricia Seed and Ruth Watson Additional texts: Mirela Altic, Lauren Beck, John Blake, David Bower, David Buissert, Kris Butler, Mario Cams, John Cloud, Peter Collier, Tim Cooke, Daniel Crouch, Kenneth Field, John Hessler, Jason Hubbard, Daniel Huffman, Laura Beltz Imaoka, Carla Lois, Gregory McIntosh, David B Miller, Rebecca Morrill, Toby Musrave, Peter Nekola, Thomas O'Loughlin, Richard Pflederer, Alex Rayner, Dennis P. Reinhartz, Patricia Seed, Susan Schulten and Ruth Watson

'An unprecedented collection of remarkable maps and tales of adventure, discovery and innovation.' - Ranulph Fiennes, Explorer and Writer 'The best kind of coffee table book.' - The Daily Mail 'Map is an exquisite record of the miles and the millennia.' - NPR 'The book successfully juxtaposes sets of maps in a provocative manner, replete with substantial descriptions and contextual captions... Presents humanity's quest for a sense of place in a way that invites even a casual reader to savor its pages over a rain-soaked afternoon.' - Forbes.com 'Captivating... Brings together more than 300 visually arresting maps spanning 3,000 years and every corner of the planet.' - The New York Times Book Review 'Catnip for map geeks... More than 300 gorgeous images from milestone moments in cartography... The range is pulse-quickening.' - Los Angeles Times 'The selections in the book reveal the infinite forms that maps can take, the diversity of information and perspectives they can convey, and their essential role in understanding our world.' - TravelandLeisure.com 'Profound, whimsical, wondrous, the book is a cartographer's dream.' - Chicago Tribune '[A] compendious testament to the beauty of maps... A coffee table treat for the armchair traveller... It is amazing to see how much our world view has changed.' - Homes and Antiques 'This fascinating survey shows that a map can be an act of faith in ink on vellum (the Mappa Mundi), an arrangement of sticks and shells made by a pre-literate canoeist in the Marshall Islands, or a pointed political sculpture by the artist Ai Weiwei.' - Telegraph Travel 'Exquisite... As one expects from Phaidon, the design and presentation of the book is second-to-none, making it a perfect present... Thoughtfully curated pairings reveal the huge variety of the cartographer's art... So delightful are the images in this book that any one of them would look good on a wall. [A] wonderful journey.' - Aga Living 'The fascinating progression of cartography.' - Wanderlust 'A fabulous book to put cartography where it belongs: on the map.' - Tatler 'A sumptuous meal for carto-philes.' - Library Journal 'Collects some of the most significant examples throughout cartographic history.' - The Independent 'A stunning cartographic encyclopedia... Draws connections between eras, places, and themes with each turn of the page' - TheAtlantic.com 'A visual bonanza... This is a big, beautiful book of wonder.' - Architectural Digest 'A celebration of cartography.' - MentalFloss.com 'I can stare at maps for hours. At home, the children and I draw intricate fantasy maps of magical places - and this this book is definitely the best inspiration.' - Samantha Cameron, Porter 'A great source of inspiration for anyone - particularly someone celebrating the start of a new chapter in life.' - Gear Patrol

Phaidon Editors John W. Hessler is a Specialist in Computational Geography and Geographic Information Science at the Library of Congress. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London, he is the author of more than 100 books and articles. Daniel Crouch is a rare book dealer and founder of Daniel Crouch Rare Books. He has given numerous lectures on maps and atlases, including talks at the Library of Congress, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Fine Arts Museum, Houston.