The World Through Maps: A History of Cartography

Rating:
Summary: A tour de force
Review: In The World through Maps: A History of Cartography, geographer John Rennie Short demonstrates a keen sensitivity to maps' undeniable appeal through an expert selection of 200 maps, reproduced in full color, and all representative of mapmaking's heights from Paleolithic times to the present. Short draws upon recent scholarship in the history of cartography (Making Space, 2004; Mapping the Republic, 2001; and Alternative Geographies, 2000), producing a multifaceted study that extends the latest thinking in cartography to a general audience. Short's other major areas of specialization--globalization, urbanism, and environmental concerns-make him uniquely qualified to address with authority precisely those issues that exist at the nexus of cartographic representation. The confluence of Short's research interests and popularizing instincts distinguishes The World through Maps from other standard books about cartography for the general public, which often focus primarily on simple chronology and description, usually with an antiquarian emphasis. By presenting a body of knowledge relating to how maps and their makers have produced the world, its contested realities, and its competing claims, Short acknowledges that those spatial appetites currently endowing new energy to social theory persist way beyond the academy. In recognizing and addressing this widening interest, The World through Maps raises the bar for all future books on the history of cartography intended for the general public. Short's aim to sophisticate a nonprofessional audience's appreciation for the cultural significance of cartography is evidence of the utmost pedagogical dedication. He magnifies this instructive generosity through a text that is free of jargon, devoted to the clear expression of complex ideas and respectful of all levels of intelligent inquiry. For the novice, there is an introductory chapter on the language of maps. Apposite historical sidebars and succinct captions filled with an intriguing miscellany of information complete the supplementation necessary to support the new learner. The well-placed auxiliary texts combine with the chronological organization of the main text to comprise an encyclopedic primer of cartographic history. Furthermore, Short puts the reader at ease by personalizing the text with a sense of humor, well-chosen autobiographical anecdotes, and an occasional, strategic Socratic question. Along the way of this book's very "good read," the reader will amass an astonishing amount of well-integrated knowledge regarding the historically important maps of land, sea, and sky created by the major protagonists in cartography for a variety of purposes, from metaphysical speculation to land speculation. The reader also will soon perceive that maps always have been "present at the creation," indeed have had large shares in that creation. Maps have generated, recorded, organized, and disseminated the cultural processes of dreaming about, moving through, charting, claiming, and developing territory. It is not long before the perceptive reader realizes that no place in the world is unaffected by cartography and that this has been the case ever since the first ephemeral hand gesture pointed the way. John Rennie Short masterfully narrates and illustrates both, as he says, "the story of the map and the story in the map." The World through Maps: A History of Cartography is a tour de force in terms of reaching a general audience because it not only appeals to a public understanding of geography but also elevates it.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: I do not wish to be as strident as the previous reviewer, but I generally agree with those conclusions. The book is very attractive but is filled with factual errors. It is a collection of very many (too many) short (just a page or a few pages) discussions of very disparate topics. There is no connection made. More disturbing than the factual errors is the overall lack of understanding of historiography that comes through. There are scenes described that could only have happened in an Errol Flynn movie. Great emphasis is given trivial issues whereas germinal events in carto-history are ignored.My overall impression is that the author is not knowledgeable in this field and has produced an error-ridden potboiler. I do not recommend this book to anyone, even rank beginners.

Rating:
Summary: Rubbish
Review: I have discarded my copy of this book. It is rubbish. The pictures are nice but the book is a chaotic mess of infobits that are unconnected. One canot learn a history of maps or mapping from this book. It is also full of errors. He seems to confuse Apianus with Munster and can't tell a Munster from a Schedel. and doesn't know the difference between a globe and armillary sphere. The book seems to be a compilation of unedited snippits submtted by students - there is no contextual wholeness. I have collected maps seriously for about 15 years and find this book irritatingly full of glaring errors. It is potentially damaging to anyone who wants to learn about maps.

Rating:
Summary: Rubbish
Review: I have discarded my copy of this book. It is rubbish. The pictures are nice but the book is a chaotic mess of infobits that are unconnected. One canot learn a history of maps or mapping from this book. It is also full of errors. He seems to confuse Apianus with Munster and can't tell a Munster from a Schedel. and doesn't know the difference between a globe and armillary sphere. The book seems to be a compilation of unedited snippits submtted by students - there is no contextual wholeness. I have collected maps seriously for about 15 years and find this book irritatingly full of glaring errors. It is potentially damaging to anyone who wants to learn about maps.

Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: I received this book as a gift due to my love of the beauty of maps. As I got into the text, however, I quickly became fascinated with the history of maps as I never had before. This book really illuminated the history of cartography for me: I had never considered how maps do not just passively reflect the areas they represent but also often have active roles in those areas' histories.

After reading the previous two reviewers' commentary, I wonder if we were reading the same book. The World through Maps is filled with fascinating information in the main text, the captions, and the inset boxes, which led me along a variety of routes throughout the book, helping me make all kinds of connections on my own--a true process of discovery and a fun reading experience. Yet, the text also flows in a more traditional fashion, being arranged chronologically. A very dynamic, good read.