'A magnificent book that sings of the romance and mystery that only old maps possess' EDWARD
BROOKE-HITCHING 'Astonishingly fresh and insightful ... A triumph' ALICE ROBERTS 'Engaging
deeply satisfying and elegantly designed' SIMON WINCHESTER SPECTATOR The remarkable story
of an overlooked map archive that reveals how maps have helped inspire some of the greatest
scientific discoveries but also led to terrible atrocities. At the heart of University
College London nestled in the centre of Bloomsbury lies a long-forgotten map library packed
with thousands of maps and atlases . After Professor James Cheshire stumbled upon it he spent
three years sifting through hundreds of dusty drawers to see what was there. He was stunned to
uncover some of the most significant maps and atlases from the last two centuries - many of
which had not seen the light of day for decades. In The Library of Lost Maps we discover
atlases for the masses that expanded nineteenth-century horizons and maps that were wielded by
those in power to wage war and negotiate peace charts that trace the icy peaks of the
Himalayas and the deepest depths of the ocean and pioneering maps produced to settle borders
in central Europe or the wealth of those in inner-city London. Maps have played a vital role in
shaping our scientific knowledge of the world showing the impact of climate change and
inspiring the theory of plate tectonics. They have also guided politicians encouraging both
beneficial reforms and horrific conquests the consequences of which we continue to live with
today. Brimming with astonishing discoveries The Library of Lost Maps reveals why
cartography really matters and how map-making has helped transform our understanding of the
world around us.
