Why read Why North is Up?

Book cover of Why North is Up: Map Conventions and Where They Came From

Book description

Many people have a love of maps. But what lies behind the process of map-making? How have cartographers through the centuries developed their craft and established a language of maps which helps them to better represent our world and users to understand it?

This book tells the story of how…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Why North is Up as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Joshua Hagen

Author

I was drawn to this book because it explains a broad range of cartographic conventions straightforwardly. Unlike the other books on my list, this book is probably the most academic. Yet I was impressed by Ashworth’s ability to engagingly and informatively discuss seemingly dry topics, like latitude and longitude, legends, scale, and map symbology.

I enjoyed the wide range of illustrations featuring a mixture of historical and contemporary maps, which helped me understand the longer-term pedigree of modern map conventions and their advantages and limitations.

From Joshua's list on The best books about maps and cartography.