Theatre of the World: The Maps That Made History

Description

What is a map? How have people been drawing the world throughout history? What do maps say about us? THEATRE OF THE WORLD is a unique book detailing the full and incredible history of maps. Thomas Reinertsen Berg takes us all the way from the mysterious symbols of the Stone Age to Google Earth in a fascinating tale about science and worldview, about art and technology, power and ambitions, practical needs and distant dreams of the unknown. Along the way, we encounter visionary geographers and heroic explorers along with the unknown heroes of the map-making world, both ancient and modern. And the fascinating visual material allows us to witness the extraordinary breadth of this history with our own eyes.

Thomas Reinertsen Berg (born 1971) is a journalist and writer. He has written for several Norwegian papers such as Morgenbladet, Klassekampen and Dagsavisen, where he has worked especially with cultural and scientific subjects.

In his gorgeous book, 'Theater of the World,' Thomas Reinertsen Berg provides dozens of full-color maps along with fascinating details about the history of attempts to represent geographical space...Berg makes a strong case that maps served many purposes beyond representing geographical space. Readers can expect to spend happy hours with this book, tracing routes and reading reports of adventuring navigators. - The Washington Post