The Story of Maps

Rating:
Summary: Lloyd A. Brown's classic work in the field of cartography
Review: As we learned from the example of Americo Vespucci, make a really good map and half the world can be named after you. In "The Story of Maps," Lloyd A. Brown provides an authoritative history of both maps and mapmakers, from the work of Strabo and Ptolemy to the 19th-century. Brown's treatise on the science of cartography and the men who set out to map the World was originally published in 1949. "The Story of Maps" is one of the standard early references for map collectors and a basic work in any cartographic reference collection. Brown covers both why maps were necessary and how they changed the world they were mapping out by impacting the economics and politics of nations (Brown's critique of the Portuguese is particularly compelling). This book contains over 80 illustrations, both photographs and drawings, which, unfortunately, suffer from being reduced in such a small format, especially for someone like me whose eyes and not what they once were, because once Brown explains the history behind such maps they are eminently more fascinating to pour over (albeit with a magnifying glass in my case).

Rating:
Summary: Lloyd A. Brown's classic work in the field of cartography
Review: As we learned from the example of Americo Vespucci, make a really good map and half the world can be named after you. In "The Story of Maps," Lloyd A. Brown provides an authoritative history of both maps and mapmakers, from the work of Strabo and Ptolemy to the 19th-century. Brown's treatise on the science of cartography and the men who set out to map the World was originally published in 1949. "The Story of Maps" is one of the standard early references for map collectors and a basic work in any cartographic reference collection. Brown covers both why maps were necessary and how they changed the world they were mapping out by impacting the economics and politics of nations (Brown's critique of the Portuguese is particularly compelling). This book contains over 80 illustrations, both photographs and drawings, which, unfortunately, suffer from being reduced in such a small format, especially for someone like me whose eyes and not what they once were, because once Brown explains the history behind such maps they are eminently more fascinating to pour over (albeit with a magnifying glass in my case).

Rating:
Summary: Lloyd A. Brown's classic work in the field of cartography
Review: As we learned from the example of Americo Vespucci, make a really good map and half the world can be named after you. In "The Story of Maps," Lloyd A. Brown provides an authoritative history of both maps and mapmakers, from the work of Strabo and Ptolemy to the 19th-century. Brown's treatise on the science of cartography and the men who set out to map the World was originally published in 1949. "The Story of Maps" is one of the standard early references for map collectors and a basic work in any cartographic reference collection. Brown covers both why maps were necessary and how they changed the world they were mapping out by impacting the economics and politics of nations (Brown's critique of the Portuguese is particularly compelling). This book contains over 80 illustrations, both photographs and drawings, which, unfortunately, suffer from being reduced in such a small format, especially for someone like me whose eyes and not what they once were, because once Brown explains the history behind such maps they are eminently more fascinating to pour over (albeit with a magnifying glass in my case).

Rating:
Summary: A thorough history of cartography.
Review: Brown traces the history of cartography from antiquity to the early twentieth century. The writing style is quite eloquent and lucid. The astronomical, trigonometric, and geometric factors that were influential in the evolution of mapmaking are presented in a mannner that does not exclude the general reader from appreciating the importance of these sciences in the development of geographical mensuration and surveying techniques. The book is replete with fascinating anecdotes of the cartographers themselves, along with intriguing accounts of how these individuals helped to determine the commercial and political successes of their governments and patrons. If you've ever wondered how influential Ptolemy's Almagest was on the Renaissance mind, or have been drawn to the sheer beauty of Mercator's craftsmanship; if you've ever been curious about how quadrants and theodolites functioned, or wondered about the importance of determining longitude for maritime trade, then this is a must read. The book is a Dover reprint of a classic scholarly work and is filled with 86 gorgeous black and white illustrations.

Rating:
Summary: Loved this book
Review: Extremely well written and entertaining book. Anyone who is interested in maps should read it.