The Maps Book

Explore the amazing world of maps!

From the first sketches on cave walls to GPS maps on phones, discover their incredible history and marvel at ancient maps, explorers' maps, war maps, weather maps, fictional maps and even interactive digital maps. Packed with awesome facts and fascinating maps, this definitive guide to maps will keep curious minds engaged as they take a deep dive into the amazing world of cartography.

Inside The Maps Book:

• Journey through the history of maps from prehistoric rock etchings and the first-ever world map to mapping the World Wars, climate change and beyond

• Case studies and historic photos including Winston Churchill’s Map Room and John Snow’s groundbreaking 1854 cholera map will fascinate readers and aid learning

• Revolutionary modern maps explained in detail, covering GPS, online maps, Street View, 3D mapping, magnetic-field maps, map apps, flight radar maps and more

• Map making and the tools cartographers use to create and design maps, like vehicle-mounted cameras, vector mapping software, satellite photography and aerial lidar

• How to read maps – and make your own including longitude and latitude, grid lines, contour lines, scales, symbols and keys – plus how to use a compass

• Types of maps and their purposes such as political maps, infographic maps, transport maps, city maps, weather maps, topographic maps, geological maps, archaeology maps and mapping the natural world

• Unusual maps of the night sky, wildlife, populations, and planets bring the world of cartography to life

• Fictional maps that kids and adults know and love, like Middle Earth and 100 Acre Wood to board game maps and mapping in video games