What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mapmakers
In his classic text, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner John Noble Wilford recounts the history of cartography from antiquity to the space age.
They are among the world's great pioneers and the mapmakers who for centuries have been expanding our knowledge of who and where we are, and where we want to go. From the surprisingly accurate silk maps prepared by Chinese cartographers in the second century B.C., to medieval mapmakers who believed they had fixed the location of paradise, through to the expeditions of Columbus and Magellan, John Noble Wilford chronicles the exploits of the great pioneers of mapmaking. Wilford brings the story up to the present day as he shows the impact of new technologies that make it possible for cartographers to go where no one has been before, from the deepest reaches of the universe (where astronomers are mapping time as well as space) to the inside of the human brain. These modern-day mapmakers join the many earlier adventurers—including ancient Greek stargazers, Renaissance seafarers, and the explorers who mapped the American West—whose achievements shape this dramatic story of human inventiveness and limitless curiosity.
They are among the world's great pioneers and the mapmakers who for centuries have been expanding our knowledge of who and where we are, and where we want to go. From the surprisingly accurate silk maps prepared by Chinese cartographers in the second century B.C., to medieval mapmakers who believed they had fixed the location of paradise, through to the expeditions of Columbus and Magellan, John Noble Wilford chronicles the exploits of the great pioneers of mapmaking. Wilford brings the story up to the present day as he shows the impact of new technologies that make it possible for cartographers to go where no one has been before, from the deepest reaches of the universe (where astronomers are mapping time as well as space) to the inside of the human brain. These modern-day mapmakers join the many earlier adventurers—including ancient Greek stargazers, Renaissance seafarers, and the explorers who mapped the American West—whose achievements shape this dramatic story of human inventiveness and limitless curiosity.
508 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 1981
About the author
John Noble Wilford
18 books9 followersJohn Noble Wilford is a science correspondent for 'The New York Times'. He has won two Pulitzer Prizes (1984 & 1987). He was the McGraw Lecturer at Princeton University in 1985, and Professor of Science Journalism at the University of Tennessee in 1989-1990. In 1998, he was elected tot the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Wilford has worked for 'The Wall Street Journal', 'Time', and, since 1965, the 'Times'.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 31, 2010
This is a fascinating book on the history of cartography, and written at exactly the right level for an interested layperson with a decent general education. The information is dense without being impenetrable.
I learned a ton of interesting facts, was frequently surprised by the order in which things happened and how much technology had been developed at certain time periods, and it explains some concepts of cartography that I vaguely remembered from elementary school so that I finally understood them this time.
My only complaint isn't much of one: it's so thorough, and covers such a huge span of time, that I was only reading about ten pages at a time. Thus, it took forever to read, and by the end, even though I was still learning things, I was anxious to get through it. But that may be more a critique of my attention span than the book.
I learned a ton of interesting facts, was frequently surprised by the order in which things happened and how much technology had been developed at certain time periods, and it explains some concepts of cartography that I vaguely remembered from elementary school so that I finally understood them this time.
My only complaint isn't much of one: it's so thorough, and covers such a huge span of time, that I was only reading about ten pages at a time. Thus, it took forever to read, and by the end, even though I was still learning things, I was anxious to get through it. But that may be more a critique of my attention span than the book.
May 28, 2015
Although I'd read many books about explorers and exploration of the earth, I'd never read anything before specifically about cartography, i.e. the mapping of the planet. This book, arranged chronologically and thematically, handles it all, from the ancient Sumerians to the initial charting of Mars.
The author, a science editor, nests his discussion within some description of his own experiences in mapping the Grand Canyon. Although treating of the mathematics and technologies behind cartography, he manages to avoid becoming too dry or too technical, making this a book accessible to a general readership.
The author, a science editor, nests his discussion within some description of his own experiences in mapping the Grand Canyon. Although treating of the mathematics and technologies behind cartography, he manages to avoid becoming too dry or too technical, making this a book accessible to a general readership.
June 9, 2017
This book is a detailed overview of the history of cartography from its earliest known origins to the space exploration days. The maps included were beautiful, and the writing style was straightforward and accessible to the layman for a somewhat niche topic.
June 21, 2008
I'm kind of nerdy about maps. I just think they're cool. Reading about the evolution of cartography and the often harrowing ordeals mapmakers went through to greater understand our world was a joy.
July 9, 2016
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
I picked The Mapmakers up probably a year and a half ago while perusing the gift shop at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum; I'm pretty sure I was there to watch Interstellar on the IMAX screen. I'm not a big Air and Space fan (I favor the American and Natural History museums) but this book and a seemingly-related one in topic, A History of the World in 12 Maps, caught my eye, so I picked them up while I was there. And they have languished on my shelf ever since. I finally pegged The Mapmakers as a book to fulfill a reading challenge category for 2016, but it took me more than a month to get through it because, honestly, this book wasn't that interesting.
The Mapmakers purports to be about the people who make maps and who have shaped the history and processes of that making, but honestly, it's not. There might be snippets about one person or another, like the guy who invented the chronograph and made finding one's position at sea much easier, but these never last more than a page or two. The author's focus is much more on the evolving technologies of cartography than the people who actually employed them.
The book also feels woefully dated. This is purportedly an updated version--but the updates only carry through to the end of the 20th century, when GPS systems were just starting to become affordable and having them installed in cars was something shiny and new. The book is divided into four parts, the first two of which focus on the more ancient mapping aspects and the latter two of which are more "modern." And by modern, I mean that there's no mention of the Sojourner rover when mentioning mapping Mars, and no concept of where maps have actually gone. When this book was published, the author clearly had no idea (and really, not many people did, so I can't blame him) that people would be carrying around maps accurate to yards and feet in the palms of their hands via their iPhones, or that they would be using said maps on phones to follow around Pokemon conveniently hidden throughout their towns. But the fact of the matter is, mapping technology has advanced so far since this book was published that I couldn't help but have this sort of condescending, "Oh, that's so cute" attitude toward so many of the technologies that the author toted as groundbreaking. And yes, at the time, they were--but the book is frozen in time, as all books are, and it just seems out of touch as a consequence.
Overall, the book was dated, the writing was boring, and the book didn't have the human element that I was hoping to find. The illustrations were not the beautiful maps that the author toted so often, but instead boring ones. It'd be hard to keep a book like this up-to-date especially in these days when advances are made so quickly, but this still wasn't the engaging read I had been hoping for.
2 stars out of 5.
I picked The Mapmakers up probably a year and a half ago while perusing the gift shop at the Smithsonian Air and Space museum; I'm pretty sure I was there to watch Interstellar on the IMAX screen. I'm not a big Air and Space fan (I favor the American and Natural History museums) but this book and a seemingly-related one in topic, A History of the World in 12 Maps, caught my eye, so I picked them up while I was there. And they have languished on my shelf ever since. I finally pegged The Mapmakers as a book to fulfill a reading challenge category for 2016, but it took me more than a month to get through it because, honestly, this book wasn't that interesting.
The Mapmakers purports to be about the people who make maps and who have shaped the history and processes of that making, but honestly, it's not. There might be snippets about one person or another, like the guy who invented the chronograph and made finding one's position at sea much easier, but these never last more than a page or two. The author's focus is much more on the evolving technologies of cartography than the people who actually employed them.
The book also feels woefully dated. This is purportedly an updated version--but the updates only carry through to the end of the 20th century, when GPS systems were just starting to become affordable and having them installed in cars was something shiny and new. The book is divided into four parts, the first two of which focus on the more ancient mapping aspects and the latter two of which are more "modern." And by modern, I mean that there's no mention of the Sojourner rover when mentioning mapping Mars, and no concept of where maps have actually gone. When this book was published, the author clearly had no idea (and really, not many people did, so I can't blame him) that people would be carrying around maps accurate to yards and feet in the palms of their hands via their iPhones, or that they would be using said maps on phones to follow around Pokemon conveniently hidden throughout their towns. But the fact of the matter is, mapping technology has advanced so far since this book was published that I couldn't help but have this sort of condescending, "Oh, that's so cute" attitude toward so many of the technologies that the author toted as groundbreaking. And yes, at the time, they were--but the book is frozen in time, as all books are, and it just seems out of touch as a consequence.
Overall, the book was dated, the writing was boring, and the book didn't have the human element that I was hoping to find. The illustrations were not the beautiful maps that the author toted so often, but instead boring ones. It'd be hard to keep a book like this up-to-date especially in these days when advances are made so quickly, but this still wasn't the engaging read I had been hoping for.
2 stars out of 5.
March 14, 2022
When my partner asked what I was reading, and I replied that it’s a history of cartography, she first replied “what’s that?” and swiftly followed my explanation with “oh dear, nerd!” No doubt she was right, and this excellent tome is unashamedly a book for nerds, written by a massive cartography nerd.
Charting (see what I did there?) the history of mankind’s search to represent our place within the world and eventually the universe around us, Wilford’s narrative reaches from the first scrapings on clay tablets in ancient Babylonia to the mapping of the moon, Mars and the cosmos, and details the leaps of knowledge, adventure and technology required to get us there. And I really do mean “details” - for example, I never appreciated the sheer mathematical and technical complexity of something as outwardly simple as transposing a satellite photograph onto a spatially accurate 2D representation of a globe, but Wilford refuses to shy away from explaining the range of different available projections along with their uses. Similar interesting (if you’re so minded) details abound throughout. The first half of the book which detailed the adventures of early Renaissance to 18th century explorers, and their discoveries of the true extent of the Earth, was especially fascinating.
I will certainly never look at a map the same way again.
Charting (see what I did there?) the history of mankind’s search to represent our place within the world and eventually the universe around us, Wilford’s narrative reaches from the first scrapings on clay tablets in ancient Babylonia to the mapping of the moon, Mars and the cosmos, and details the leaps of knowledge, adventure and technology required to get us there. And I really do mean “details” - for example, I never appreciated the sheer mathematical and technical complexity of something as outwardly simple as transposing a satellite photograph onto a spatially accurate 2D representation of a globe, but Wilford refuses to shy away from explaining the range of different available projections along with their uses. Similar interesting (if you’re so minded) details abound throughout. The first half of the book which detailed the adventures of early Renaissance to 18th century explorers, and their discoveries of the true extent of the Earth, was especially fascinating.
I will certainly never look at a map the same way again.
January 17, 2018
Wow, I cannot believe that I finally finished this one! Full review to come - overall decent book, although it had its weaknesses.
January 10, 2021
Very fun read. The last few chapters I thought would have been my least favorite, ended up being my favorite. Truly amazing stuff. I take my hat off to those cartographers.
February 20, 2023
I enjoy this topic but have to admit, this one was a bit of a tough slog. The long and detailed sections about the mapping of the United States were overdone for non US readers. I found myself having to frequently refer to google maps for states/towns etc.
Can’t be that bad though. Have given it to my Dad to read. Will see what he reckons.
Can’t be that bad though. Have given it to my Dad to read. Will see what he reckons.
December 24, 2011
A totally fascinating read about mapmakers and cartography that really opened my eyes to all the possibilities of mapmaking. I had never heard of some stuff, and other stuff I had never really had explained. Some of the history reads like adventure stories. It bogs down a little when it gets really technical or jargon-heavy, but there is so much good material to work with. It makes me like maps ever more.
July 6, 2007
I love the early days of map-making. The India Survey was entrancing what with the secret agents and specialized tools for surreptitious measurements. When mapping became the work of satellites and machines, an exciting age ended.
January 16, 2008
He takes the awesome stories of adventurers and explorers, includes the dry stuff of science and mathematics, and somehow it comes out all together even better than either one!
August 6, 2008
This was a fascinating book explaining the history of map making. It really makes one appreciate maps and the wonder of GPS today
August 9, 2008
A fascinating book that makes the history of mapmaking and geography interesting. You don't have to be a geography major to enjoy this book.
May 30, 2020
From ancient times, when Eratosthenes calculated Earth’s circumference fairly accurately, to the use of Mariner 9 to provide thousands of photographs for mapping Mars, the art and science of mapping is covered. This book was published in 1986, and my copy was an original I found in a used bookstore in NH, so there’s undoubtedly lots more technological advances in the past 35 years in cartography. But this was certainly a comprehensive survey, nonetheless. And quite accessible too, with accompanying maps to illustrate along the way.
As a map nerd, I have several books about mapping. So the stories of establishing latitudes and longitudes of sites and of projecting a globe into a 2-dimensional map were known to me. What this book added were the stories of explorers (e.g., Cook, Lewis & Clark), the scientific minds (e.g., Claudius Ptolemy, Galileo), and the sheer slogging hard work of surveyors (4 generations of Cassini, for example). The tools used ranged from using the well at Syene on June 21, to telescopes, sextants and chronometers, theodolites, lasers, sonar, computers, aerial flights using radar, infrared, and magnetometers ... and so much more! My favorite map of all time is one of the ocean floor put out by the National Geographic Society, and it was fascinating to read how knowledge of the ocean floor’s topography was elucidated.
When speaking of maps, most people think of atlases, AAA road maps, and maybe topographical maps. In reality there are many ways that we map in our lives - thematic mapping is something to which we’ve all been exposed but may not have thought to apply the term ‘mapping’. The three examples at the top of this paragraph are thematic. So are diagrams showing the distribution of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Gravity is not uniform - it’s dependent on the density of the Earth’s geology at a given point, so there are global maps depicting Earth’s gravity lines. Ditto for barometric pressure, seismic faults, and magnetic variations. And John Snow, MD mapped out cholera cases in London during an outbreak in 1855 against wells used for drinking water, and he pinned the cause to one specific well and was able to stop further disease when the well was boarded and nailed over.
I will admit that I’m still hazy on the use of triangulation, trilateration, and traverse in mapmaking. Likewise the use of side-looking radar and many other technologies. So there were times the reading bogged down for me. I will also admit to a bit of skimming at those times. But the overarching story of mapmaking is a fascinating one and can be appreciated on whatever level the reader wants to bring to it.
As a map nerd, I have several books about mapping. So the stories of establishing latitudes and longitudes of sites and of projecting a globe into a 2-dimensional map were known to me. What this book added were the stories of explorers (e.g., Cook, Lewis & Clark), the scientific minds (e.g., Claudius Ptolemy, Galileo), and the sheer slogging hard work of surveyors (4 generations of Cassini, for example). The tools used ranged from using the well at Syene on June 21, to telescopes, sextants and chronometers, theodolites, lasers, sonar, computers, aerial flights using radar, infrared, and magnetometers ... and so much more! My favorite map of all time is one of the ocean floor put out by the National Geographic Society, and it was fascinating to read how knowledge of the ocean floor’s topography was elucidated.
When speaking of maps, most people think of atlases, AAA road maps, and maybe topographical maps. In reality there are many ways that we map in our lives - thematic mapping is something to which we’ve all been exposed but may not have thought to apply the term ‘mapping’. The three examples at the top of this paragraph are thematic. So are diagrams showing the distribution of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Gravity is not uniform - it’s dependent on the density of the Earth’s geology at a given point, so there are global maps depicting Earth’s gravity lines. Ditto for barometric pressure, seismic faults, and magnetic variations. And John Snow, MD mapped out cholera cases in London during an outbreak in 1855 against wells used for drinking water, and he pinned the cause to one specific well and was able to stop further disease when the well was boarded and nailed over.
I will admit that I’m still hazy on the use of triangulation, trilateration, and traverse in mapmaking. Likewise the use of side-looking radar and many other technologies. So there were times the reading bogged down for me. I will also admit to a bit of skimming at those times. But the overarching story of mapmaking is a fascinating one and can be appreciated on whatever level the reader wants to bring to it.
September 29, 2017
One might think that the story and concept of mapmaking might be dull, by Mr Wilford makes it come alive. From the beginnings in ancient times in Egypt and China, to the present mappng of Mars and the Moon, he tells the story clearly, which is always important in scientific tales. He starts with the concept of maps, and then precedes from the mapping of sea routes and the determination of the circumference of the world to the mapping of the whole world. The methods used were ingenious and the mapmakers no less so. He clearly explains the uses and downsides of the various projections that attempt to map a three dimensional reality to a two dimensional plane. One new concept to me was that gravity varies in different places on the earth depending on the density and mass of the earth and also varies by nearby objects such as large mountains. He details how mapmakers were first lead astray and then used this concept.
Nor were the chapters of recent times any less fascinating. Wilford detailed how the advances in photography and radar coupled with the use of aviation finally made possible the final mapping of the entire world. Then fascinatingly he describes how these techniques were used to map the moon to a high level of precision in advance of the moon landings and by then by the following Apollo missions. And Mars was mapped a few years following! All in all a fascinating story, well told.
Nor were the chapters of recent times any less fascinating. Wilford detailed how the advances in photography and radar coupled with the use of aviation finally made possible the final mapping of the entire world. Then fascinatingly he describes how these techniques were used to map the moon to a high level of precision in advance of the moon landings and by then by the following Apollo missions. And Mars was mapped a few years following! All in all a fascinating story, well told.
July 30, 2022
Mapping is an interesting subject, and this book does show it as interesting; we get engaging anecdotes from Age of Exploration captains and the Indian Triangulation Survey and modern GPS surveyers. (Did you know the island of Sardinia was appreciably mis-positioned as late as WWII?) But in its broad sweep, the book can only pick a very few stories to spend that much time on, leaving me with a superficial knowledge often lacking depth. I got some of the depth (e.g. the details of trigonometric surveys) from elsewhere, but there's more even I'm lacking.
Worse, I noticed the author following false popular myths about the burning of the Library of Alexandria, and about the significance of medieval T & O maps. Admittedly, he sweeps quickly through the Middle Ages before getting at what's clearly his actual area of expertise - but still, these errors are disturbing.
So, I did enjoy this book somewhat, but I'm too dubious to recommend it.
Worse, I noticed the author following false popular myths about the burning of the Library of Alexandria, and about the significance of medieval T & O maps. Admittedly, he sweeps quickly through the Middle Ages before getting at what's clearly his actual area of expertise - but still, these errors are disturbing.
So, I did enjoy this book somewhat, but I'm too dubious to recommend it.
January 26, 2024
Excellent book on the history of Geography and Cartography and the most important personas who developed this important science and art. I often found myself wanting to dig deeper into the many events, technologies, methodologies, and personas who were introduced and briefly surveyed. Regrettably, the early chapters perpetuate the debunked myth-of-the-myth of a flat earth and the warfare thesis between religion and science (cf. Flat Earths and Fake Footnotes by Derrick Peterson). And while some of the last chapters do not contain any scientific or methodological progress that have occurred since 2000, chapters 21-23 were interesting to see how much of a revolutionary shift GNSS, remote sensing, and GIS were to the old ways of map-making. How these things work now are sufficiently learned from other books or a contemporary working in the field.
March 3, 2018
I read a few chapters closely. Skimmed the rest. The book is well written and comprehensive. You'll learn a lot about cartography. The history is, well, poor. The analysis is unabashedly presentist. The historical protagonists are categorized into the modern rational good guys and superstitious, irrational fools. If you want good historical analysis that explores the context for why people believed what they did about the world, you'll not find it here. Read with a grain of salt and a critical eye.
March 10, 2020
I was a little worried to try this, thinking it might be another overly dry, academic treatise like A History of the World in 12 Maps but this was an easy and very informative read, and I loved its scope across the years, across the world (and moon) and also across various technologies.
September 24, 2021
This book begins with a fine history of the development of cartography and ends with as much information on space technology as a 50-year old edition can provide. In between there is some good stuff about explorers, soldiers and scientists including: J. W. Powell, Matthew Maury, Ptolemy, J. C. Fremont & Prester John.
May 2, 2024
More a book about the “discoverers” and surveyors that unlocked new techniques and lands/oceans. Not much about maps as objects. Defines maps as topographical depictions of terrain and takes a rather teleological approach as a result. Macho vibes, dominant viewpoint. Describes a moment when remote sensing, how, and digitization started to come together; a moment on the cusp, well captured.
January 5, 2018
Thanks alisa! One of the best nonfiction books.......learned a lot about surveying, cartography, and history.....fabulous....j.ust made me want to get a sextant and quadrant and start plotting stars, mts. and borders.... great stuff. A bit dense, but read at least a chapter a day....
September 20, 2020
If you like maps this book is a treasure. From the first description of latitude, the race for accurate definition of longitude to GPS and mapping in space - the book has it all. This is the first book dedicated to cartographic history I’ve read. I enjoyed it and learned a great deal.
April 1, 2024
Informative without being impossible. For a map nerd, this is pretty delightful.
February 7, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this. If you're into maps, math, astronomy, or geophysics, dig up this book and prepare for a fascinating encounter with courage and ingenuity. I'm sure the technology has advanced since Wilford published this, but it's excellent all the same.
November 7, 2014
"The Mapmakers" takes almost 500 pages to describe 3,000 years of mapmaking history and technology, but the story author John Noble Wilford tells is engaging enough to keep your interest until the end. He clearly explains the geometry and trigonometry of mapmaking, from its primitive beginnings to today's technological wizardry allowing Earth to be mapped from space. However, my favorite parts of the book are the colorful stories of the pioneers of mapmaking, such as Gerardus Mercator, who developed the famous Mercator projection; the Cassini family, who produced -- over four generations, from 1673 until about 1800 -- the first map of France; and John Harrison, who created an early version of the marine chronometer, which allowed sailors to accurately determine their longitude while at sea. Wilford himself accompanied a group in the early 1970s that resurveyed the main part of the Grand Canyon. He effectively uses his experience with surveying and mapmaking to frame the story of mapmaking. Wilford knows his stuff; he became science writer for The New York Times in 1965 and has won two Pulitzer Prizes. Though now retired, he still writes occasional articles for the Times. If you want to know how maps are made or how early explorers and surveyors mapped unknown lands, this book is for you. I highly recommend it.
August 12, 2014
The best part of this book was actually due to when it was written - pre-google maps where anyone can pull up ultra high quality satellite photometry + GPS + Road Atlas + more. The point of view is priceless -- Wilford reminds us that c.a. 1980 we ere still in a different era and showed the steps out.
Otherwise it was, as I've seen a few other point out, an excellent read for someone who wants a good Survey of the history of cartography but without it being totally dumbed down.
The only reason I 4 star it is, despite my own high interest in the subject and the book, I still wound up getting bogged down more then once. Some sections got into the minutiae a bit too much. I enjoyed the overview the book was providing and when it began dropping into the small details of certain sections I just lost interest.
Also, the map quality is pretty bad -- I recommend reading it near a computer so you can pull up high res images of the maps in question and enjoy them for real.
Otherwise it was, as I've seen a few other point out, an excellent read for someone who wants a good Survey of the history of cartography but without it being totally dumbed down.
The only reason I 4 star it is, despite my own high interest in the subject and the book, I still wound up getting bogged down more then once. Some sections got into the minutiae a bit too much. I enjoyed the overview the book was providing and when it began dropping into the small details of certain sections I just lost interest.
Also, the map quality is pretty bad -- I recommend reading it near a computer so you can pull up high res images of the maps in question and enjoy them for real.
November 7, 2015
This one took me a while to get through, but it was an absolutely fantastic read! The book spanned the history of cartography, and the end explored mapping beyond the Earth. I particularly enjoyed the first sections about mapping in antiquity. I also agreed with the authors discussion of the ‘completeness’ of mapmaking. It’s so odd to think that we don’t have perfect, accurate maps of the world yet. Although the book was published before Google maps! Regardless, I loved the breadth of this book, and the writing was fantastic. Not for everyone, but I really enjoyed this complete history. A book I’ll turn to again in the future, I think.
November 10, 2023
This book by John Noble Wilford looks at mapping from the Classical era to the Space Age. After eagerly reading through its nearly 500 pages of rich and captivating content, I can honestly say that I had no idea what to anticipate and that it was a delightful surprise to discover how much I had learned! Look no further if you're looking for an engaging gift for a loved one; this authoritative and entertaining book would make a wonderful present for anyone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews