Peter Barber (1) (1948–)

Beautifully produced and printed with some glorious maps. You'll need a magnifying glass to appreciate some of the finer detail. There's an Anglocentric bias but there is a smattering of interesting stuff from around the world and it was nice to see GIS covered at the end. I used to do a bit of GIS mapping for DEFRA. If there's a fault it's that the text is too brief. I think they've gone for the type size as they have to complement the design but I would have preferred something a little show more more in depth. Still, there's enough to point you in the right direction if you want to find out more. show less

Get this from a library if you can. While interesting, the title is misleading, since perhaps a third of the illustrations are not maps. Maybe that is so you have somthing to look out without eyestrain. Even with a magnifying glass, many of these maps are virtually unreadable. Generally, there is a small part that is excerpted and is readable, but this book simply doesn't give you the pleasure of looking at maps that an atlas does. The format is just too small. Not recommended.

As a lifelong lover of maps, I could not resist when I found this coffee table size book at a bargain price. It is not a book that you sit down and read, but I'm putting it on my "Read" shelf, because otherwise it would remain on my "Currently Reading" shelf for a year to two. I enjoy the history for itself but also like having a reference book to get my bearings when reading historical fiction and biography set in London during various periods.

This is marvelous book of maps. It progresses the style and use of maps over the centuries. This is a very arge format book, but the reproductions are excellent. Peter Barber's explanations are always good and intriguing, revealing things we had no known before.