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A beautifully illustrated history of the world's most celebrated historical city maps, from the hubs of ancient civilization to sprawling modern mega-cities, created in association with the Smithsonian Institution. Great City Maps explores and explains 30 of the world's greatest historical city maps, providing a captivating overview of cartography through the ages. The book's unrivaled reproduction of these fascinating and intricate documents provides graphic close-ups and reveals more than just pure geography--it offers insight into the cultures and beliefs of the great civilizations that gave rise to them. From classical cities like Rome and Jerusalem to modern hubs like New York and Tokyo, the stories behind each map are revealed: why it was created, who it was intended for, and how it was achieved. Profiles of key cartographers, planners, and artists give even further insight into the history of each urban masterpiece. With its genuinely unique and superbly illustrated approach to the most celebrated city maps in history and its lavish textured and foiled jacket, Great City Maps is a beautiful piece to add to any collection and a must-have for all history and geography enthusiasts.… (more)
User reviews
We learn the story behind each map – who created it and why. Many maps are artwork. For example, maps were often commissioned as paintings, posters, illustrations, or frescoes; others were designed to aid travel or for military purposes; the reasons are many. In addition to the story behind the map, key locations are highlighted in a visual tour of each city.
Some cities have more than one map, in some cases hundreds of years apart, and it’s interesting to see how the cities have evolved and changed. New Amsterdam/New York and Rome were particularly interesting to me as they are both cities I have visited and can relate to.
These maps are all very, very different, done in a wide variety of styles, and cannot be compared to each other. Rather, each is a snapshot in time; a visual, interesting history lesson of each city that can be enjoyed by everyone. History buffs and those fascinated by maps should be especially delighted.