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ronanmcd's review against another edition
3.0
It's a funny one. For starters the title is not only slightly misleading but utterly. This is not a world history - there is little mention of the search for and around Australia, the existence of the polar land mass in Antarctica is dealt with by discussing vanishing points of longitudinal lines, there is little discussion of in-filling the gaps within continents (the dark interiors).
There is plenty of talk of meridiens, continental placings and outlines, graticules and scales, print technology. All great stuff, but not a history of the world. This is a history of maps, and bar one chapter, a history of western maps. It's very good, an interesting subject with some fantastic polemical debate and lesser known histories. Brotton does a great job of bringing maps alive, and showing their greater meaning outside of merely showing relative points.
Initially I had looked at this as a companion piece for Neil McGregor's A History of the World in 100 objects. It isn't.
It is however a fascinating history of an intersection of design, storytelling, commerce and science.
There is plenty of talk of meridiens, continental placings and outlines, graticules and scales, print technology. All great stuff, but not a history of the world. This is a history of maps, and bar one chapter, a history of western maps. It's very good, an interesting subject with some fantastic polemical debate and lesser known histories. Brotton does a great job of bringing maps alive, and showing their greater meaning outside of merely showing relative points.
Initially I had looked at this as a companion piece for Neil McGregor's A History of the World in 100 objects. It isn't.
It is however a fascinating history of an intersection of design, storytelling, commerce and science.
azn_trang's review against another edition
3.0
This is more of a history of maps in 12 maps. You won't read about the history behind any wars or anything but about how cartography changed throughout history. I was left feeling a little cold because by the end it talks about Google maps and Google stock prices and stuff. Unique premise though.
brannigan's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really not sure what to make of this book - I've just finished it and I feel like I have information overload. On the one hand, it's certainly informative, there's facts abundle. On the other though, Brotton seems to have largely failed to write a history of the world in 12 maps, instead writing something more like 'a history of maps in 12 maps'. I shall explain.
Good points: I adore the 'history of the world in x things' format, ever since I fell in love with the BBC radio 4 series (and accompanying book) 'a history of the world in 100 objects'. Artefacts undoubtedly bring history to life, and Brotton offers access to some very old, fascinating and little-known maps. I'm also very interested in philosophies of physical space, and this book further shatters the little-challenged assumption of spacial objectivity. One of the main themes of the book is that our world, including its physical aspects, has always been perceptual. It was therefore interesting to see how depictions of the world vary immensely according to the intentions of the map-maker and his/her contemporary society. The organisation of the twelve chapters into concepts such as science faith, money, nation, empire, geopolitics etc. was therefore a genius move.
It all sounds like a five-star setup, were it not for Brotton's irritating habit of losing focus on wider contextual history and instead providing a very detailed, very boring history of individual mapmakers and developments in cartographical techniques. I'm not saying these aspects should not be present in such a work; I just wish they had not taken centre stage. A hundred pages of this book could have easily been shaved, but instead Brotton produces page after page of the Cassini family's relationship with the French monarchy, multiple Greek attempts to calculate the circumference of the earth, and (inexplicably) the evolution of the microchip. I found my eyes glazing over more than once, and several pages were skimmed.
I also have to point out a possible careless error - Brotton describes Jasper Conrad as an "enthusiastic supporter" of British imperialism. I may be wrong, but I'd put Conrad at the top of my list of anti-colonialist all stars.
Overall though, this book was enjoyed, even in part because of Brotton's scatter-shot approach, throwing tidbits of info here and there. There are some anecdotal gems, such as how Magellan only had a go at circumnavigating the globe because maps of the time severely underestimated the length of the journey. I also agreed with Brotton's evaluation of the Peters Projection, and his defence of Mercator. Read it and see. Three thumbs up.
Good points: I adore the 'history of the world in x things' format, ever since I fell in love with the BBC radio 4 series (and accompanying book) 'a history of the world in 100 objects'. Artefacts undoubtedly bring history to life, and Brotton offers access to some very old, fascinating and little-known maps. I'm also very interested in philosophies of physical space, and this book further shatters the little-challenged assumption of spacial objectivity. One of the main themes of the book is that our world, including its physical aspects, has always been perceptual. It was therefore interesting to see how depictions of the world vary immensely according to the intentions of the map-maker and his/her contemporary society. The organisation of the twelve chapters into concepts such as science faith, money, nation, empire, geopolitics etc. was therefore a genius move.
It all sounds like a five-star setup, were it not for Brotton's irritating habit of losing focus on wider contextual history and instead providing a very detailed, very boring history of individual mapmakers and developments in cartographical techniques. I'm not saying these aspects should not be present in such a work; I just wish they had not taken centre stage. A hundred pages of this book could have easily been shaved, but instead Brotton produces page after page of the Cassini family's relationship with the French monarchy, multiple Greek attempts to calculate the circumference of the earth, and (inexplicably) the evolution of the microchip. I found my eyes glazing over more than once, and several pages were skimmed.
I also have to point out a possible careless error - Brotton describes Jasper Conrad as an "enthusiastic supporter" of British imperialism. I may be wrong, but I'd put Conrad at the top of my list of anti-colonialist all stars.
Overall though, this book was enjoyed, even in part because of Brotton's scatter-shot approach, throwing tidbits of info here and there. There are some anecdotal gems, such as how Magellan only had a go at circumnavigating the globe because maps of the time severely underestimated the length of the journey. I also agreed with Brotton's evaluation of the Peters Projection, and his defence of Mercator. Read it and see. Three thumbs up.
kpagan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
jasonwith_y's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely dense, a lil euro centric, but filled with fun facts and some insights. I love maps.
tronella's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look at some iconic maps and the historical settings in which they were developed. Unfortunately, there are quite a few proofing errors ("Amercia", mixing up bit and byte, punctuation errors) that made this quite tough going for me, especially since it's already so dense. It also seemed to me that the author didn't really understand what he was talking about in parts of the chapter on Google Earth. Still, pretty good on the whole.
lynn_k's review against another edition
2.0
DNF'd. It is dry, boring, and reads like a textbook. This is coming from someone who has read and enjoyed reading actual textbooks. Not a bad book, just not for me.
earlapvaldez's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent analysis of twelve maps, and with a proper historical treatment (which includes footnotes and suggested studies), this work gives us an idea of how maps are made with particular perspectives and interests (whether conscious or unconscious) in mind. Great way to see also the development of thought, and I'm sure to make use of insights I have gained as I prepare for other important things in the future.
Now, excuse me while I GMaps my way to a nearest Jap restaurant.
Now, excuse me while I GMaps my way to a nearest Jap restaurant.