Maps and Civilization : Cartography in Culture and Society

Rating:
Summary: Sparse but Pleasant Introduction
Review: Maps & Civilization is Norman Thrower's contribution to the history of cartography and how it has impacted the world we live in. It's actually a fairly short work after accounting for how many pages are map reproductions. Not that this is unexpected, obviously, but the result is not one I found entirely satisfying. We get neither an introduction to cartography in general, nor a very thorough history. Not being knowledgeable on the subject, I would have liked a more detailed introduction to the terms as they arose (though an excellent glossary is provided). Although some projections like the Mercator are discussed enough to understand their uses and drawbacks, quite a few projections are diagrammed, discussed very briefly, and then left behind. The significance was not always clear. Like with terminology, the appendices provide a thorough listing of uses, but this is not as satisfying as text.

Even so, it's still a nice enough read for a beginner. I was pleased to find discussion about modern mapmaking and recent computer applications. It's clear that cartography is one area of the arts (and a well designed and constructed map is a work of art) where computer enhancement can clearly surpass anything humans can do. Likewise, as the book is about maps and civilization, it's nice to find out how much international work has gone into cartography. It's one of the enduring international collective efforts.