I am a historian fascinated with maps and geography, I have produced historical atlases on the world, Britain, war, cities, naval history, fortifications, and World War Two, as well as books on geopolitics and maps. I am an Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and of Policy Exchange.
I wrote...
Maps and History: Constructing Images of the Past
By
Jeremy Black
What is my book about?
Historical atlases offer an understanding of the past that is invaluable to historians, not only because they convey a previous age's sense of space and distance but also because they reveal what historians and educators of those periods thought important to include or omit. This book - the first comprehensive and wide-ranging account of the historical atlas - explores the role, development, and nature of this important reference and discusses its impact on the presentation of the past.
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The Books I Picked & Why
A History of America in 100 Maps
By
Susan Schulten
Why this book?
An excellent example of the British Library’s History … in 100 Maps series, this book, by an expert, on the American geopolitical imagination, combines a first-rate text with instructive maps. Handsomely produced, it is good value.
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The Eternal City: A History of Rome in Maps
By
Jessica Maier
Why this book?
This first-rate book, at once scholarly and accessible, is typical of the excellent production value of the University of Chicago Press, which is the major publisher of cartographic studies. Maier offers a fascinating reading of a good choice of maps.
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William Birchynshaw's Map of Exeter, 1743
By
Richard Oliver,
Roger Kain,
Todd Gray
Why this book?
The discovery of hitherto unknown maps is a great treat and this edition uses one to show the development of urban mapping. Well-anchored in the locality, this book is also of much wider value.
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Atlas: A World of Maps from the British Library
By
Tom Harper
Why this book?
Wide-ranging, high-production values, a good balance of maps and text, and excellent value for money. Includes many different types of map not least those of fantasy worlds.
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The History of Cartography, Volume 6: Cartography in the Twentieth Century
By
Mark Monmonier
Why this book?
A blockbuster of a reference work, but also a vital tool for all those interested the history of maps and mapping. Part of a series that is at once majestic, handsome, and full of the detailed knowledge of scholarship.