18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book of the first degree, and I don't mean latitude, June 18, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Degrees of Latitude: Mapping Colonial America (Williamsburg Decorative Arts Series) (Hardcover)
Anyone who enjoys historic maps, particularly of colonial America, will be extremely glad they purchased this book. I have absorbed most of the print off the pages, being careful to leave the innumerable high resolution images in the book for future enjoyment. Many of the maps illustrated are of such rarity that one will rarely, if ever, see them elsewhere.
The book has 5 main sections:
1. Claiming the Land covers 40+ pages; the maps illustrated in this section "tell the story of how Europeans took possession of the land in the New World by royal claims by discovery and exploration, by companies comprised of private investors..., or by wealthy individuals asserting personal holdings. The obvious way... to substantiate ownership [was] by illustrating boundary lines on a chart or map."
2. Maps as Symbolic Objects covers 10 pages includes numerous engravings or portraits from the colonial era in which the subjects are holding or studying maps, or in which maps or globes can be seen in the background.
3. A Selection of Maps from the Colonial Williamsburg Collection is by far the largest section, covering about 268 pages. Just a few of the notable publishers or cartographers works included in this section are Ortelius, de Bry, Smith, Dudley, Senex, Moll, De Brahm, (John) Mitchell, Popple, Fry & Jefferson, Mouzon, Faden...WOW, I guess I shouldn't try to name them all.
4. The Atlas of John Custis, 1698 covers about 80 pages. A very thorough and fascinating history of this remarkable composite atlas is followed by a complete analysis of the 94 maps and charts contained therein.
5. Philip Lea and the Seventeenth-Century Map Trade covers almost 20 pages and provides an overview of the actual "business end" of the map trade in the 17th century, and a detailed look at Lea's business. This is a topic frequently (and unfortunately) overlooked in many historical map related texts.
Are there any flaws? Not really. I did notice that on several occasions the "detail" images of a section of a map offered no better resolution than the full map image. This is more a compliment to the quality of the full map images than an insult to the "details." I believe the author's intent was to draw attention to a particular component of the map with the "detail" images, not necessarily provide "Hubble" resolution.
I have no reservations at all in recommending this book, regardless of how many map books are already on your book shelf. The illustrations alone (I counted 482,185) are justification enough for purchasing the book. But I also found the accompanying text equally fascinating and edifying. Reading the book is not a chore or a bore, yet provides a tremendous educational experience. Oops, I didn't mean to imply that educational books are usually boring, but I guess I did. And no, there aren't really 482,185 illustrations, but there are a boatload, and they are of superb quality. Enjoy the book!
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