A History of the World in 12 Maps was on display at my local library and caught my attention. There was something about the cover that made me stop and go “hmm. that could be interesting” and before I knew it, the hardcover was in my hand and I was walking up the check out desk. And slowly but surely I made my way through all 521 pages and did find the historical review of world maps to actually be very interesting.
A History of World Maps examines various periods of history and map making to explain how maps are often subjective and can be motivated and influenced by the culture that is producing them. It is broken down in 12 chapters with topics ranging from Science to Faith to Money to Equality To Empires, and Information. Each of these topics influence the historical structure of various society and this influences the way in which maps are created and further influence their society.
Jerry Brotton does his best to keep the subject matter interesting and his tone upbeat for each chapter. There were times when it was a slower read for me but overall I was invested in the material that I was reading. It was very interesting to learn about various maps throughout history. There were also visual aids inside of the book as well which were fun to look at. Overall, I’m glad that A History of the World In 12 Maps caught my attention and I enjoyed expanding my knowledge of maps and cartography.
Rating: 4 Stars
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