Frank Jacobs (1929–2021)

Maps of mythical places (Oz, Utopia). Strange maps of real places – India with south at the top. Maps of geographically interesting places – the Kentucky bubble, Cooch-Behar, Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog. Unsettling maps – Europe if the Axis had won World War II. For that last, there are whole websites devoted to hypothetical maps of various Nazi victory scenarios; I don’t know if it’s because the possibility was scary or if there are swarms of neoNazis mourning their lost show more cause. Good coffee table book, might provoke some discussion, hopefully about the complexities of the Dutch-Belgian border rather than Nazis. show less

It's no Phantom Tollbooth or anything for kids by Thurber, but there are some fun wordplay elements and parody in this slim volume. Plus, Gorey illustrated it. Interestingly, the Doubt looks remarkably like the titular character of Gorey's own The Doubtful Guest. Coincidence?

Jacobs' Strange Maps blog is a treasure trove for map lovers, and his book gives his eclectic collection full credit. Imaginary lands, cartographic misconceptions, political maps, parodies, geographic oddities and, well, simply 'strange' maps all find a place here. Discover the world's most intricate enclave system (sporting the only occurrence of a counter-counter-enclave known to man), explore how major religions envision a soul's path through life and beyond, learn why gerrymandering is show more called like that and shiver through Hitler's world domination maps all between the covers of this atlas of extremes. show less

Exquisite. All the character and curiosity of the blog, but with rich and beautiful maps in print. A feast.Some netcentrisms made it past editing: "Moving your mouse cursor over any département" (p.181) didn't work so well for me. And for some of the more creative maps, it would have been helpful to have a sidebar providing context against a standard map. But no matter: this is a delightful book and a valuable addition to any cartophile's library.