Mapping the World : An Illustrated History of Cartography
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Mapping the World is a one-of-a-kind collection of cartographic treasures that spans thousands of years and many cultures, from an ancient Babylonian map of the world etched on clay to the latest high-tech maps of the earth, seas, and the skies above. With more than one hundred maps and other illustrations and an introduction and running commentary by Ralph E. Ehrenberg, this book tells a fascinating story of geographic discovery, scientific invention, and the art and technique of mapmaking.
Mapping the World is organized chronologically with a brief introduction that places the maps in their historical context. Special "portfolios" within each section feature key cartographic innovators and maps of exceptional artistic quality or significance, such as the 1507 Waldseemüller Map, the first to use the name America. Unusual and surprising maps are also presented, including a set of playing cards that contained a secret escape map for American prisoners in Germany during World War II.
With its broad historical and cultural range, unmatched variety of maps from the finest map collections in the world, more than one hundred illustrations, and a fresh and authoritative perspective on the history of cartography, Mapping the World will delight everyone with an interest in maps and mapmaking like no other book on the subject.
About the Author
Ralph Ehrenberg is a former chief of the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress and a former director and assistant director of the Center for Cartographic and Architectural Archives, U. S. National Archives and Records Administration. Earlier, he worked as a cartographer with the Department of Defense Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, St. Louis (1964-1966), and as an aerial photographer with the U. S. Navy (1955-58). During his tenure at the Library of Congress, Mr. Ehrenberg represented the Library on the United States Board on Geographic Names, serving as chairman of the Board for the 1989 - 1991 term. He also served on the U. S. National Committee for the International Geographical Union; the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), Section of Geography and Map Libraries; and the U. S. Department of the Interior Federal Geographic Data Committee.
Mr. Ehrenberg is founder of the Philip Lee Phillips Society, the Geography and Map Division's public outreach and support group; a founding member and immediate past president of the Washington Map Society; and vice-president of the Society for History of Discoveries.
He has lectured and consulted widely on cartographic and geographic resources, the history of cartography, and management of cartographic collections. He was an Honorary Scholar in Residence at the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia in 1997.
Major publications include The Mapping of America, with Seymour Schwartz (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1980; Wellfleet Press, 2001); Library of Congress Geography and Maps: An Illustrated Guide (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1996); Scholars' Guide to Washington, D.C. for Cartography and Remote Sensing Imagery (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987); and Pattern and Process: Research in Historical Geography (Washington, D. C.: U. S. National Archives and Howard University Press, 1975).
Mapping the World: An Illustrated History of Cartography,Ralph E Ehrenberg,National Geographic,0792265254,Cartography,Earth Sciences - Geography,History,History - General History,History: World,Maps & Road Atlases,World - General,Reference / Maps
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