Book cover of The Map Colorist

Book description

In 1660, Amsterdam is the trading and map-printing capital of the world. Anneke van Brug is one of the colorists paid to enhance black-and-white maps for a growing number of collectors. Her artistic talent brings her to the attention of the Blaeu printing house, and she begins to color for…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Map Colorist as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Delve into Amsterdam in 1660, a time period I wasn’t familiar with. The detailed descriptions place you right there as you meet Anneke, a young lady with ambition to a man’s field—cartography. She wants to be more than just a colorist. Anneke wants to draw her own map and include it in Blaeu’s Atlas Maior.

Just as crucial to Anneke’s story is her mother, whose own artistic ambitions were thwarted. She’s very proud of her daughter. In fact, her own ambition inspires her daughter. However, her father won’t admit to either his wife or daughter’s talent since his career is…

If you love The Map Colorist...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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