ON THE MAP: SAVORING THE BEAUTY OF WHERE WE THINK WE’VE BEEN

Smart maps are now available in the palm of our hands, telling us exactly where we are and which way to go. But there is beauty in the feel and touch of old maps and the forgotten dreams they contain. That is why Simon Garfield’s new book, On The Map, instantly earns a place on our bookshelf. Beginning with ancient Greek mathematicians’ calculations and taking us up to our ever-present modern tracking devices, Garfield savors and celebrates our burning desire to chart the world in beautiful ways. One image we especially love, shown above, is a 17th-century graph that shows California as free-floating island.

Garfield, known for his excellent investigations into the history of things most of us don’t think about until we are reminded about how beautiful they can be, such as typography, stamps, and dyes, has turned his curiosity about maps into a thing of beauty.

Paging through the book, we see a map of where we’ve been and how we’ve progressed in our quest to document geography. Get ready to get lost in its cartographic delights.

On The Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks, at amazon.com