Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations (Hardcover)

by Vincent Virga (Author), Library of Congress (Author), Ronald E. Grim (Introduction), James H. Billington (Afterword)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Drawing on the Library of Congress's 4.8 million maps and 60,000 atlases, this is an overview of cartography in different times and cultures. Veteran picture editor Virga upends our notion of maps as two-dimensional representations of physical spaces by presenting depictions of imaginative or spiritual territory: a 17th-century map of the soul has five entry points, each corresponding to one of the five senses. And while we're accustomed to maps being oriented north, Islamic and some other cartographers oriented their maps south, as in an eye-opening 1996 Upside Down World Map made in Australia that shows the down under continent approximately where we usually see Greenland. Virga provides historical, sociological and anthropological background to each map. Captions for the plates are so small as to be almost unreadable, making it difficult to follow Virga's interpretations of the maps. Still, this is one of those rare coffee-table books that deserves to be read, that repeatedly delights the eye while informing the mind about the rich variety of humans' attempts to orient themselves in the world. 201 color illus. (Oct.)
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Review
"For anyone with a love of maps the book is a perfect treasure." -- David McCullough

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; illustrated edition edition (October 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316997668
• ISBN-13: 978-0316997669
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 10.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,158 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Score one for people who love maps!, November 1, 2007

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Peg Brantley

"X" marks the spot. Do you remember that? You knew you'd found treasure--or at the very least, an amazing secret waiting to be unearthed.

Cartographia is a treasure that is waiting for map and history lovers of all generations to discover. This beautiful work of art will hold your attention for hours as you look at maps drawn on paper, on wood, on stone, on figurines, and in tapestries. World maps, metaphorical maps, a map depicting a square earth and round heaven, maps on warfare, and the Oregon Trail. From ancient maps to one of the human genome, they're all contained within the pages of this book.

The text brings history alive and helps to develop an understanding of the psychology and culture behind the creation of these charted representations.

Vincent Virga, "America's foremost picture editor," is well known in history circles. Collaborating with The Library of Congress (where more than five million maps reside), he has put together an awesome book illuminating the diversity of people who populate our planet. Not only their different geographic landscapes, but also their cultural and social visions of the world and how those ideas have changed over time are represented. From Africa to the Netherlands, China to Ireland, Christianity, Judaism, Islam...you will receive a sense of human attitudes and ideas thoughtfully portrayed in the permanent form of maps.

If you ever get a thrill finding your destination, reading the map key to open the mysteries before you, or locating your house on Google Earth, Cartographia will captivate you.

If you know someone these emotions apply to, don't let them miss this book.

"X" marks the spot. You can find it in Cartographia.

Armchair Interviews says: Map lovers of the world, unite.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing and Beautiful book about the history of map-making!, March 20, 2008

By	J "peacemover" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

"Cartographia," by Vincent Virga and the Library of Congress is an amazing volume that explores in depth the development of the art of cartogtraphy, map-making, from ancient times to the present. This handsome, over-sized, volume with full color photos of beautiful and rare maps throughout the ages, is a must-have for anyone interested in history, geography or maps.

The book is arranged in sections divided by region of the world (i.e. Mediterranean, Europe, the Americas, Asia, etc). The text is extremely informative, well-written and engaging, while also very concise and focused. The map photos are absolutely breath-taking! Apparently the U.S. Library of Congress map collection contains more than 4.8 million original maps, and more than 60,000 atlases from ancient times to the present- which is absolutely incredible in and of itself!

Some of the maps and sections I found most interesting were: the early maps of the "New World," with all their interesting speculations and inaccuracies; the maps of Egypt- both by the ancient Egyptians, as well as maps made by Napoleon's early 19th century expedition and others. This magnficient volume also includes some early road and transit maps made right around the time that the national highway system was beginning to take shape across America in the mid twentieth century.

I highly, highly recommend this excellent volume- not only for the amazing maps and excellent text, but also for a sense of perspective of how maps have been shaped by human cultural perceptions of those in power throughout the ages. It is also a great book for parents with school age children, or to display as a living room, coffee table conversation piece. Pick this one up, and enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, May 25, 2008

By	V. S. Ragland "librarian" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I saw the author on C-Span2 and ordered the book immediately. I was not disappointed. This is a gorgeous and informative book about the history of maps and how they reflect our understanding of the world in which we live. Anyone who has ever enjoyed the beauty of maps or has wondered how maps were made before aerial photography will love this book.