Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line

'A treasure trove of curiosities' - Telegraph

An informative and entertaining survey of maps from 20th century - the companion book to an exhibition at the British Library.

The 20th century was a period of profound political, social and technological change. This British Library exhibition catalogue for a show in 2016 shows how maps were both unsung heroes and unreliable witnesses—capable of informing but also misleading.

Highlights of this global study include a trench-map of the Somme battlefields, a bomb damage map of London, early maps of the ocean floor, a poster showing Mao studying a map on his Long March and a Russian moon globe from 1961. Other maps discussed here include: the United Nations flag, the first stamps of Independent Latvia (1918) printed on the backs of maps, and a motorway sign. As well as sheet maps and atlases, the book gathers models, stamps, medals, manuscripts, printed books, embroidery and photographs. The book also examines changes in mapping technology, from the land surveys of 1900 to the development of satellite imagery by 2000.

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