The Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book

The British Library has one of the largest and most impressive cartographic collections in the world, including manuscript maps and atlases, administrative records and plans, large-scale surveys, and digital maps. From this rich resource, 100 fascinating examples ranging from world and city maps, celestial and sea charts, literary and statistical maps, curiosities and fake maps have been selected as the basis for this puzzle book. Each map is faithfully reproduced with a description of its creation and use, followed by details showing areas of particular interest. Readers are asked to scrutinize the maps to answer a series of historical and geographical questions, all the while enjoying new perspectives on the world we live in provided by our eclectic and extensive archive.

Philip Parker is a former diplomat and publisher who specializes in the late antique and early medieval periods. Philip ran the The Times series of mapping titles at HarperCollins publishers. Philip's most recent books are The Northmen's Fury: A History of the Viking World, The Cold War Spy Pocket Manual, and The Collins History of Britain in Maps.