The author of Mauve and Just My Type, Simon Garfield returns with a delightfully enlightening and entertaining treatise sure to put cartography on the literary map. Where would we be without maps? How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? From ancient explorers' maps to global positioning technology on our smartphones, and maps intended for metaphysical realms, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate to and realign our history, and investigates the theory that mapping—not language—is what first elevated us above our fellow primates. "Mr. Garfield uses cartography as a springboard to similar explorations of how we have viewed not only the world around us, but ourselves."—New York Journal of Books
"His droll humor and infectious curiosity will keep readers engrossed as he uncovers surprising ways in which maps chart our imaginations as much as they do the ground underfoot."—Publishers Weekly
"Rather than over-romanticize the experience of map-reading, Garfield allows his varied, expertly researched stories to speak for themselves, and in so doing helps us see that there are fewer things in life more useful, rewarding and beautiful than a map that does what it's supposed to. Perhaps if Apple had read the book a few months ago, today's iPhone users would have a much better idea of where they're going."—Daily Telegraph (London)
