Map Addict

A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance Survey

By: Mike Parker

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Paperback | 1 January 2010

At a Glance

Paperback
368 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
13.0 x 19.7 x 2.4

Paperback

$29.75

Aims to ship in 10 to 15 business days

“My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said!” Maps not only show the world, they help it turn. On an average day, we will consult some form of map approximately a dozen times, often without even noticing: checking the A-Z, the road atlas, or the Sat Nav, scanning the tube or bus map, a quick Google online, or hours wasted flying over a virtual Earth, navigating a way around a shopping center, watching the weather forecast, planning a walk or a trip, catching up on the news, booking a holiday or hotel. Maps pepper logos, advertisements, illustrations, books, web pages, and newspaper and magazine articles: they are a cipher for every area of human existence. At a stroke, they convey precise information about topography, layout, history, politics, and power. They are the unsung heroes of life, and this guide sings their song. There are some fine, dry tomes out there about the history and development of cartography: this is not one of them. This exploration mixes wry observation with hard fact and considerable research, unearthing the offbeat, the unusual, and the downright pedantic in a celebration of all things maps. In Map Addict, we learn the location of what has officially been named by the OS as the most boring square kilometer in the land; we visit the town fractured into dozens of little parcels of land split between two different countries and trek around many other weird borders of Britain and Europe; we test the theories that the new city of Milton Keynes was built to a pagan alignment and that women can't read maps. Combining history, travel, politics, memoir, and oblique observation in a highly readable, and often very funny, style, Mike Parker confesses how his own impressive map collection was founded on a virulent teenage shoplifting habit, ponders how a good leftie can be so gung-ho about British cartographic imperialism, and wages a one-man war against the moronic blandishments of the Sat Nav age.

Industry Reviews

'Mike Parker offers an exhilarating celebration of the humble map.' Mail on Sunday

'Excellent book,' Daily Telegraph

'This eclectic, funny and warm book should be on the shelves of everyone who has spent hours staring at a map.' The Great Outdoors

'a witty entreaty to leave the satnav in the car, and to head for the hills with the Ordnance Survey.' BBC Country File magazine

'a highly engaging and thoughtful, haphazard and personal, meander around maps and map-related arcane.' Daily Mail

'Parker makes his view of cartography both interesting and funny.' Choice magazine

'a funny, observant and genuinely interesting book.' Adventure Travel

'As you'd expect, given Mike's legendary wit, this is a book that's well worth a read.' Midland Zone

'In fact, it is a sense of mischievousness that makes this book quite charming.' South Wales Argus

'Nerdy it might seem, but the author's humour and historical knowledge of mad map makers, visionary breakthroughs and a deep love of exploration make this little book a treat.' Royston Crow

'Parker uses his own experience to add warmth and humour to a topic that may not, at first glance, appear enticing to the average reader. Accessible and entertaining.' Country & Border Life

'Parker proves a witty and engaging guide' Guardian

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