Customer Reviews

The Map Book

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Map Book" provides ample evidence of Mr. Barber's and his colleagues' knowledge and love of maps. The finely detailed reproductions of the historical maps alone would be worth the price the price of the book, but the addition of the well-informed and entertaining essays which accompany each map imbue the maps with greater meaning and provide a window into the thoughts, traditions, and motives of the mapmakers and those for whom the maps were intended. One could open this book at any page and become engrossed from the history and culture represented by each of the maps.

With the physical dimensions and glossy pages of a coffee table books, "The Map Book" goes beyond most of the genre by being not only pleasing to the eye, but stimulating to the mind as well. This book never fails to catch the attention of my guests and I never fail to be pleased at the undeserved compliments given to me from my simply having and displaying the book.

This book just arrived in the mail yesterday! Wow! I never thought I would be saying this about ANY item that takes almost three months to arrive (we are in the 21st century are we not?), but it was worth the wait. The breadth of this book's coverage is amazing - the organization by year is really interesting - you can see the progression of maps (and the dozens upon dozens of invented uses of maps). Many of the maps featured in this book seem to be rare gems. And the paper and print quality are top-notch. Best of all, this book tries to educate while it's busy pleasing the eye, asking its readers thought-provoking questions (like showing a composite satellite image and asking "is this a map"?).

More than just a coffee table book, I am excited to finally own this visual feast! Very thought-provoking... being a geek is cool again! :-)

This book blends a history lesson with interesting maps. Sometimes the maps leave you wanting more detail, but overall, it's an intriguing idea. I gave it as a gift to a map lover, and it was well received.

This sumptuous volume of maps covers the topic from a broad perspective. The illustrations are many and pleasing to the eye. But the book seems meant to be displayed on a coffee table as it is almost too heavy to hold and read comfortably. The writing is pedestrian.

I bought this for my husband for Christmas and he loved it. This is a huge recommendation, as he hates to read! It is a beautiful book with gorgeous and fascinating illustrations, perfect for map collectors and history buffs.

I ordered this for my husband for Christmas. He browsed through it a time or two and recently picked it up to read more thoroughly. When he opened it, the back spine broke and opened completely, leaving the internal spine to secure the book. This was a great disappointment, since the maps in the book are fascinating. We've recently begun studying Roman history via some Teaching Company courses and thought this book would be a wonderful reference. Hopefully, a replacement will be sturdier.

I really looked forward to getting this book and wish I had read the reviews first. While I can enjoy the overall design of the maps, I certainly found my enjoyment lessened by the fact that I cannot read the print on most of them, even with a magnifying glass. This, in turn, lessened the appeal of the text. Just a mess, to be honest.

Didn't any editor notice the size of the print on the maps? Or are they sight-impaired?

I am just glad that I only paid $8 for this, used, including shipping.

Mr. Barber was apparently so taken by the idea of putting together a collection of his favorite maps that he forgot that: 1) there are already more map books on the market than you can shake a compass at and a bigger book of maps is not automatically a better book, 2) his book, like all the others, was inevitably going to suffer from the same defect, namely reproductions of maps so reduced in size as to be unreadable, and 3) putting the primary focus on maps relating to the defunct British Empire may be patriotic to his countrymen but only serves to amuse the rest of the world.

Oh, and the proofreading provided by his publisher leaves much to be desired. That is unless the Japanese actually DID attack Pearl Harbor on December 3, 1941 !

My husband loves maps and loves history. So, this seemed to be the perfect gift. As it turns out, I was correct. This is a beautiful book and lives up to the description that appears on the Amazon web site. He really is enjoying the book.

I bought this as a gift for my 8 year old grandaughter. It was way above her level but there was no way to look inside the book without ordering it nor was there any age recommendations for the purchase. It is indeed a beautiful book and maybe helpful to her in high school or college.