The Road to There : Mapmakers and Their Stories

Rating:
Summary: An informed and informative history book
Review: The Road To There: Mapmakers And Their Stories by Val Ross is an informed and informative history book for young readers that tells of famous mapmakers throughout the centuries, from great sailors of legend to the unknown heroes who secretly passed on directions along the Underground Railroad through quilts. Black-and-white and color photographs nicely embellish this absorbing and highly recommended anthology showcasing diverse human endeavors to chart the unknown.

Rating:
Summary: Feast of Fascinating Facts
Review: This book held my interest from first page to last; Isaac Asimov could not have done a better job on this intrinsically fascinating subject. There are answers here to questions I've wondered about all my life, and stories I'll remember as long as I live. Ross has John McPhee's clean spare style, and his knack of involving you totally in things you thought you already knew something about. I happened to read this the day after seeing an hour-long Ken Burns documentary about Lewis and Clark, and Ross made their story far more interesting to me in a single chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Feast of Fascinating Facts
Review: This book held my interest from first page to last; Isaac Asimov could not have done a better job on this intrinsically fascinating subject. There are answers here to questions I've wondered about all my life, and stories I'll remember as long as I live. Ross has John McPhee's clean spare style, and his knack of involving you totally in things you thought you already knew something about. I happened to read this the day after seeing an hour-long Ken Burns documentary about Lewis and Clark, and Ross made their story far more interesting to me in a single chapter.

Rating:
Summary: A lively coverage of maps
Review: Val Ross' Road To There is a book on cartography and tells of the men and women who made maps, from road maps to sailor's charts. Road To There is a lively coverage of maps, from fraud artists who distorted maps for political gain to slaves who escaped to freedom from pieced quilts. An unusual, intriguing book, readers of all agens (many an adult!) will relish Road To There!