This is a coffee-table sized collection of unusual and very early maps. Some of the maps predate written language, many others were made before themiddle ages.

There are maps with projections we don't often see. There are maps of continents made long before those continents were mapped very accurately in outline. Some maps are more like pictographs, made by ancient civilizations.

The book provides a perspective on the many forms maps have taken over human history, as wel as the progress toward accuracy and detail achieved the last few centuries.

Another aspect of the book is to show the different styles of map layouts. Many early maps were elabortely decorated around the edges while others employed very fancy fonts for labeling within the map boundaries. Various styles of portraying water bodies and different topology for land surfaces are illustrated as well.

The book is a good reference of at least some of the many styles maps have taken over several millenia. ( )