Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities [Paperback]

Frank Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 29, 2009

An intriguing collection of more than one hundred out-of-the-ordinary maps, blending art, history, and pop culture for a unique atlas of humanity

Spanning many centuries, all continents, and the realms of outer space and the imagination, this collection of 138 unique graphics combines beautiful full-color illustrations with quirky statistics and smart social commentary. The result is a distinctive illustrated guide to the world. Categories of cartographic curiosities include: • Literary Creations, featuring a map of Thomas More's Utopia and the world of George Orwell's 1984

• Cartographic Misconceptions, such as a lavish seventeenthcentury map depicting California as an island
• Political Parody, containing the "Jesusland map" and other humorous takes on voter profiles
• Whatchamacallit, including a map of the area codes for regions where the rapper Ludacris sings about having "hoes"
• Obscure Proposals, capturing Thomas Jefferson's vision for dividing the Northwest Territory into ten states with names such as Polypotamia and Assenisipia
• Fantastic Maps, with a depiction of what the globe might look like if the sea and land were inverted

The Strange Maps blog has been named by GeekDad Blog on Wired.com "one of the more unusual and unique sites seen on the Web that doesn't sell anything or promote an agenda" and it's currently ranked #423 on Technorati's Top 500 Blogs.

Brimming with trivia, deadpan humor, and idiosyncratic lore, Strange Maps is a fascinating tour of all things weird and wonderful in the world of cartography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Jacobs loves maps, but finds most atlases too predictable. He collects and comments on all kinds of cartographic curiosa. A journalist and writer, he hosts the blog Strange Maps.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Studio; First Edition edition (October 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142005258
• ISBN-13: 978-0142005255
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.7 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Cartography
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Atlases & Maps > Maps
  • #58 in Books > Education & Reference > Atlases & Maps > World

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 80 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you like maps, you'll love this book October 31, 2009

By Randall L. Bytwerk

Format:Paperback

Like the author, I like maps, but unlike me, he got bored with the standard variety. He began a web site with the most unusual maps he could find -- from which web site came this book.

It is a remarkable collection. There are maps showing California as an island, of what Africa might have looked like if Germany had won its wars, of countries that never were, of countries that wanted to be bigger than they were, of a proposed reorganization of the U.S. into 38 states, and many more. Some are scary, some funny, some puzzling, some enlightening. Each map has enough background to make it comprehensible.

In the process of enjoying the maps, one learns things. There are islands of Germany surrounded by Belgium. Before the introduction of standard time zones, railroad timetables were much more complicated than they are today. And did you ever wonder why part of Delaware's border is a curve?

This is one of those books that is a pleasure to browse through. One can read it bit by bit, learning something every time.

If you like maps, you'll love this book.

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but no replacement for the real thing December 1, 2009

By N. Khazanov

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you regularly read the Strange Maps blog and want to support Frank Jacobs with a few bucks, then this is the way to go. The book compiles the blog entries with nice large photos and un-cluttered text. However, if you're like I am, and like to look things up on the internet as you read about them, the experience of reading one of Frank's stories on the web is vastly different than reading it in a book. The book doesn't add anything to the content already on the web, and you miss out on the links to original sources and cross-references to other Strange Maps stories. If you or someone you know likes well-researched and engaging anecdotes about maps combined with the experience of reading such things in a book, then this one's for you. But if you just want to see some cartographic curiosities and pick up a factoid or two along the way, then perhaps the Strange Maps blog should be your first destination. Then you can decide whether it's worth is to shell out some money to have print copies of all the wonderful maps Frank has collected.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars For Geography Lovers and History Buffs October 30, 2009

By Rhiannon

Format:Paperback

The maps are both historical, fantasy based and several "what if" maps.
Ther is a map of the Land of Oz which is pretty cool. Several early American and colonial era maps have their conversation points. The photographs of some maps are small, and reading the details can be tedious at times. My favourite map is one showing what Europe would like like had Nazi Germany won WWII. Scary, yet very intriguing.

The future is also shown. There are two maps showing the moon walks of Apollo 11 and 12. A fold out map of Mars's moon Deimos reminds us that we are now mapping extra terrestrial locations. A map of Titan's (as of yet) unnamed liquid methane lake is just beyond amazing.

Daniel Padovano