Category Archives: Maps

Manifest Destiny Did Not Involve Sharing

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Charte von Nordamerica nach den neuesten Bestimmungen und Entdeckungen (1804) was published by Christian Gottlieb Reichard (1758-1837).And as the legend shows, the hand coloring denoted what countries had stake in the lands of North America…  

Posted in Books, History, Maps | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Never Underestimate The Hanseatic League

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This recently discovered map of London from 1572 was created by the engraver Frans Hogenburg. Commissioned by the free-wheeling capitalists of the Hanseatic League,it provides a fascinating aerial view of the rapidly growing capital city. It shows that there was … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, History, Maps | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Alternative Literary Mapping

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Map loving bibliophiles at In The Book designed this clever alternative London Tube map, replacing actual station names with titles from novels set nearby. Covering just zones one and two, the map features book titles from authors including Zadie Smith, Arthur Conan … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Maps, Public Transport, Writing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A view of nature in ascending regions

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

These illustrations are from Levi Walter Yaggy’s Geograpahical Portfolio – Comprising Physical, Political, Geological, and Astronomical Geography. Published by Western Publishing House of Chicago in 1887, the book features large educational geographical charts. Using chromolithography, Yaggy created stunning colors and contrasts in his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Libraries, Maps, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Always Winter Somewhere

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 HBO’s Game of Thrones reached its dramatic conclusion yesterday, but the Folio Society is encouraging fans to go back to the original source by releasing collector editions of George R.R. Martin’s original Song of Ice and Fire novels, beginning with A Game of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Maps, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Eat Across America

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The curious folks at The Pudding did a deep dive into data on U.S. restaurant visits. They then created some fascinating maps and charts exploring the geographic patterns and regional preferences across the states. There aren’t many surprises. But what’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Restaurants, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Turn Left At Winterfell

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

You don’t have to be a huge Game of Thrones or Song of Ice and Fire fan to appreciate the genius of James Shadrach Schoenke’s brilliantly imagined modern-day Westeros maps. The St.Louis-based artist and designer modeled his cartography on contemporary … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Maps | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

All Roads Lead To Rome (eventually)

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

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 Brian D. Butler

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 , , , | 2 Comments

Coast to Coast by Train and Plane

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

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