Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet

I really enjoyed this book. The author presented a solid overview of Mercator's life. Additionally, the influences that were involved in Mercator's work (religious, political, etc.) were well examined, as well as the advances in technology and difficulties encountered in cartography and mapmaking. Additionally, the writing style was very engaging. Definitely worth reading.

What a good book. More than simply a biography of Mercator, but also a history of the Low Countries, its Renaissance and cartography. In a way it has to be, as Mercator was rather a passive figure and a quiet family man; and his letters from the first half of his life appear to have been destroyed to protect the innocent when he was imprisoned. A very useful approach for someone like me though, who really knows nothing about the Low Countries or their history. This book is very much in the style of popular non-fiction, but is the product of real scholarship. The breadth of Crane’s references are really quite amazing. In places the information comes so thick and fast you’ll have to wait until after breakfast. I learnt loads. I’ve show more read a few popular-style books on mapping over the years but stopped as they all seem to regurgitate the same information. This book does not and really stands apart. show less

An excellent book about Gerard Mercator, the father of modern map making. Or, how do you make a three dimensional globe fit on a two dimensional map. Without his grid system, GIS specialists would have a much harder time on the job....

The book is well researched, very interesting, and discusses the extreme changes of religion, personal freedom, and the role of kingdoms that is the background of Mercator's Life.

Mercator is an interesting person - born to a peasant family with the patriarch working as a shoe maker, Mercator manages to eke out an education when his uncle the priest sponsors him to the local college. After graduating, Mercator starts on the path that sets him up as a famous geographer - learning surveying, map making, and show more consolidating sources to create the most accurate maps of the time.

Overall, this dense book portrayed a man who lived an amazing life. Fully researched, with a strong background in the politics of this world. Not only do I know more about Mercator's life, but just want it meant to be living in world where Protestantism (and free thinking) was just starting.

One thing I would change is to place the different illustrations and figures in context with the narrative. It's hard to understand the maps and reasoning when the examples are all clumped together. show less

I don't think it's maybe the best written book, but some of that is obviously down to the paucity of material about the man himself and to an extent the period. I'd have preferred a bit more detail on the maps (and globes) themselves and why they were so revolutionary rather than lists of people who were present at some event, but none-the-less it was worth the read to get a better feeling for the revolutionary times Mercator was living in and the impact he and his fellows had.

Crane's definitive biography of Gerard Kremer -- the man who would later become Gerard Mercator -- is breathtaking in its scholarship. While the early years are filled with "may haves" and "could have beens," once he becomes a scholar, his history lights up with excitement. Even though Mercator never left Northern Europe, he invented italic script, met the great humanists of the day, and mapped the world twice over. He collated and synthesized every ancient text and every map as well as created a now-universal projection system for cartography. This biography is a must-read.

A good book that places the cartographer in relation to some of the religious and political questions of his time. The reader also gets some insights on Exploration and the book trade of the sixteenth century. Sadly there is not a colour reproduction of Mercator's final world map...but I guess that's hard to come by. But I wish you all would read this book, for it is a considerable achievement.

A biography of the man who gave to the world of cartography the Atlas and the Mercator Projection. Crane sets the story amid the chaos of reformation Europe and the news from explorers of a growing world. Despite all that, the book is rather dry and Crane seems to stretch to make Mercator a heroic man of his era. I really had to struggle to complete it, but I suppose I’m a better man for it.