The Dictionary of Imaginary Places

A seminal book for me in that it (a) took places described in a range of literary works as seriously real by giving each a Baedecker-style travel guide entry, and (b) provided maps and charts giving visual aids to familiar and unfamiliar locations. There have been revised editions since 1980, which

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I've seen but not examined, but this was the first attempt to give an overview of dystopias, utopias, fantasy worlds and comic geographies from different cultures, languages and centuries. The mock-seriousness is sometimes leavened with equally tongue-in-cheek humour but at times the terseness of some entries can be wearing. Some maps need/ed revision (Narnia, for example, has/had some crucial omissions and misplacements), but their consistent olde-worlde look (with hachures rather than contour lines, for instance, and Renaissance-style type faces) is charming and lends character to the whole presentation. A treasure chest to dip into if you haven't already come across it.

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