Little else can match the fusion of beauty and usefulness found in a good map. Yet what if the cartographer relied upon shoddy or fabricated information? What if they had no qualms about simply making things up themselves? This handsome little volume presents a collection of maps which are lovely, historically significant, and just plain wrong. Examples range from the well-known (Atlantis, California depicted as an island) to the downright bizarre (perfectly rectangular islands inhabited by devils, fruits shaped like human heads). The author provides informative and often amusing commentary on the gaffes, lies, and misunderstandings on show. And not every error here has collected the dust of centuries — at least one still appeared on Google Earth until just a few years ago.
–Donovan, Grass Roots Books & Music, Corvallis, OR
Explore the bookshelves and explore the world at Grass Roots and other independent bookstores.