Category Archives: Maps

All Roads Lead To Rome (eventually)

Posted on March 16, 2019 by

Once again, Chicago-based cartographer and artist Sasha Trubetskoy has created an amazing transit-themed map based on the ancient Roman road network. This terrific example, Roman Roads of Iberia, is based on historic sources and covers the period of the First Century BC … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, History, Maps | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s still Constantinople to me

Posted on March 11, 2019 by

As is often the case in the antiquarian book trade, we can search for a title for weeks with no avail and then years later stumble across a copy when we are not even looking. Many years ago I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Maps, Middle East, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Coast to Coast by Train and Plane

Posted on March 7, 2019 by

These days it takes about 5 hours to travel coast to coast across North America, but in 1929 the fastest route took at least 48 hours. This very cool map was given to passengers who traveled on Transcontinental Air Transport … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, History, Maps, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Fun With Maps

Posted on March 1, 2019 by

Those of you who regularly visit TBTP know how fond I am of maps—both real and fictional. New York City-based artist Jake Berman does deep dives into archives and library collections to discover historic plans and engineering documents from municipal … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Libraries, Maps, Public Transport, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s A Small World

Posted on February 15, 2019 by

One of my most valued possessions during my childhood was a globe that sat on a table next to my bed. I spent countless hours traveling around the world on that globe imagining all of the places that I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Maps, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Misteriosi d’Italia

Posted on February 11, 2019 by

I recently stumbled upon a marvelous new book of stories and illustrations exploring magical places, spooky folklore, mysterious legends, and unexplained phenomena in Italy. The Atlas of Mysterious Places of Italy was a joint project of illustrator Francesco Bongiorni and writer Massimo … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Europe, History, Maps | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

One does not simply walk into Mordor

Posted on January 19, 2019 by

A big h/t to TBTP follower Miles B. from the U.K. for the link to this fantastic fantasy map which “untangles Middle-Earth’s many routes to evil”. The map was commissioned by Empire Magazine and created by Christian Tate.  

Posted in Art, Books, Maps | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Visit the Library Planet

Posted on January 17, 2019 by

Library Planet is a new crowdsourced online travel guide for libraries around the world. Created by Danish librarians Marie Engberg Eiriksson and Christian Lauersen, who proclaim their mission to make library tourism easier and to share enthusiasm for visiting libraries. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, Libraries, Maps, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

There and back again (again)

Posted on January 12, 2019 by

Last year I posted a story about the Oxford Bodleian Library once-in-a-lifetime exhibition Tolkien: Maker of Middle Earth, which was the most extensive public display of original Tolkien materials ever gathered in one place. This week I was dead chuffed to discover … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Libraries, Maps, movies, Museums, Photography, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Isn’t all of Britain fictional

Posted on January 10, 2019 by

Fake Britain is a marvelous map to more than 400 fictional locations in England, Scotland and Wales featuring made-up towns, villages, castles, islands, and more. Created by Matt Brown and Rhys B. Davis, the map draws from films, television and books. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Film, Maps, movies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment