A compelling exploration of the ways that humans have mapped the world throughout history

Map, Exploring the World brings together more than 250 fascinating examples of maps from the birth of cartography to today's cutting-edge digital maps and reflects the many reasons people make maps - to find their way, to assert ownership, to encourage settlement, or to show political power.

Carefully chosen by an international panel of experts and arranged to highlight thought-provoking contrasts and similarities, it features maps by the greatest names in cartography and lesser-known creators, as well as rare maps from indigenous cultures around the world.

John W. Hessler is a Specialist in Computational Geography and Geographic Information Science at the Library of Congress. A Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society in London, he is the author of more than 100 books and articles.