Maps can transport us, they are filled with wonder, the possibility of real adventure and travels of the mind. This is an atlas of the journeys that writers make, encompassing not only the maps that actually appear in their books, but also the many maps that have inspired them and the sketches that they use in writing. For some, making a map is absolutely central to the craft of shaping and telling their tale. A writer's map might mean also the geographies they describe, the worlds inside books that rise from the page, mapped or unmapped, and the realms that authors inhabit as they write.
Philip Pullman recounts a map he drew for an early novel; Robert Macfarlane reflects on his cartophilia, set off by Robert Louis Stevenson and his map of Treasure Island; Joanne Harris tells of her fascination with Norse maps of the universe; Reif Larsen writes about our dependence on GPS and the impulse to map our experience; Daniel Reeve describes drawing maps and charts for The Hobbit trilogy of films; Miraphora Mina recalls creating `The Marauder's Map' for the Harry Potter films; David Mitchell leads us to the Mappa Mundi by way of Cloud Atlas and his own sketch maps. And there's much more besides.
Amidst a cornucopia of images, there are maps of the world as envisaged in medieval times, as well as maps of adventure, sci-fi and fantasy, maps from nursery stories, literary classics, collectible comics - a vast range of genres.
About the Author
Huw Lewis-Jones is a historian of exploration with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He was formerly curator at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, and the National Maritime Museum, London. His books include Arctic, Ocean Portraits, In Search of theSouth Pole, The Conquest of Everest, The Crossing of Antarctica, and Across the Arctic Ocean. Most recently, he is also coauthor of the internationally bestselling Explorers’ Sketchbooks.
Industry Reviews
'A beautifully illustrated compendium' - Country Life
'Glorious ... This exquisitely crafted atlas is a must for any passionate reader' - Woman & Home
'Lavish' - Choice
'I'm in love ... this book is genius' - Jen Campbell, Christmas Gift Guide
'Book of the year for 2018. It gathers intelligently charming meditations from writers and festoons them with map after map after map after map of imaginary, and sometimes non-imaginary, lands' - Weekly Standard
'Fantastic' - Atlas Obscura
'This delightful, engrossing exploration is for every reader who's ever admired a book or a map, let alone both' - Shelf Awareness
'The book is stellar. The maps are gorgeously recreated and cover a wide spectrum of type, style, time period, and intent' - Fantasy Literature
'Fascinating' - Financial Times, Books of the Year
'That strange alchemy of words into cartography and sometimes vice versa - how wonderful it is to travel within the bounds of a book' - Daily Telegraph
'Bursting with fascinating essays and maps, this is a feast for the eyes and the mind's eye' - Cumbria Life
'Charts the landscape of literary imagination with passion and care' - NPR Books of the Year
'A gorgeously illustrated collection' - Map Room blog
'A writer's love letter to the map' - Tor.com
'An enchanting collection of fictional cartographies ... spellbinding' - Geographical
'Beautifully produced ... A reminder that a map is far more than a means of plotting a route. Like a book, it can transport you. It can work magic' - Daily Telegraph Travel, Book of the Year
'Treasure to pore over on Christmas Day' - Mainstreet Books
'The ideal gift for the family bookworm' - York Press
'The quintessential coffee-table book' - Chicago Tribune
'An incredible love letter to invention, place, and the art of the map' - Zocalo Public Square
'Absolutely gorgeous' - Independent
'Contains beautiful bold imagery and was particularly skilful when it came to the use of so many different typefaces on one page' - British Design and Production Awards, Winner Production/Trade Illustrated category
