Purchase
Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks
Scribner
October 2011
On Sale: September 20, 2011
288 pages
ISBN: 1439167176
EAN: 9781439167175
Kindle: B004IK98BK
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
It comes as no surprise that, as a kid, Jeopardy! legend Ken
Jennings slept with a bulky Hammond world atlas by his
pillow every night. Maphead recounts his lifelong love
affair with geography and explores why maps have always been
so fascinating to him and to fellow enthusiasts
everywhere.Jennings takes readers on a world tour of
geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the
Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the
National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at
Google Earth. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of
map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying,
even the “unreal estate” charted on the maps of fiction and
fantasy. He also considers the ways in which cartography has
shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and
read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been. From the
“Here be dragons” parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to
the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern
revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with
intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening
analysis. If you’re an inveterate map lover yourself—or even
if you’re among the cartographically clueless who can get
lost in a supermarket—let Ken Jennings be your guide to the
strange world of mapheads.
Comments
1 comment posted.
Re: Maphead
At last someone else who loves geography and maps as much as I do. This is definitely a book for me. And I'm also a trivia hound--or at least I used to be. But unfortunately, I'm having far too many "senior moments" and can often not remember things from one moment to the next. My brain, in spite of all I do, is just not fast enough anymore.
As for maps in particular, I can't stand not having them close. Even Google doesn't satisfy my hunger for them. These often lack the larger picture. There are no indication how far away other places just outside the reach of the area shown are located. That frustrates me. Maybe in all the time that I've used Google maps, I've just not been using them correctly. However, give me a real map anytime.
(Sigrun Schulz 11:17pm September 23, 2011)
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy