Maps come to the Library

Have you ever thought about what a map really is? A representation in two dimensions of something that exists (or doesn’t) in three dimensions – or even four in the case of maps that show history and the passing of time as well as space.

They can be used as a tool for travel, for planning invasions, for explaining a story, for describing social conditions, for exploring the night sky.

It is easy to take maps for granted – so why not stop and marvel at the ingenuity of map creators across history?

Think about how Harry Beck found a way to simplify the London Underground system that has been copied throughout the world (as demonstrated by Mark Ovenden's wonderful book Metro Maps of the World, featured in the display.)

See how Charles Booth mapped the social conditions of London at the end of the nineteenth century – the London of Conan Doyle and Dickens.

Consider the significance of the material maps are produced on. This is often dictated by the use the map will be put to; take for example the silk maps which folded minutely and were rustle-free, so were invaluable to war time agents engaged in escape. (We have a World War II example showing Basra on display in the Library, and a newspaper article about how they were even smuggled in Monopoly boards. Here is a similar article from The Guardian.)

Maps represent information that can change the course of history. Come and see examples of the maps used for planning D-Day and a secret Soviet map of southern England. Many artists have employed maps in their creativity: look up, for example, the work of Grayson Perry or Richard Long, or see the book The Map as Art by Katharine Harmon in our display.

As digital maps became a reality the possibilities for presenting information linked to location became almost limitless. Here are a few digital map projects you might like to look at:

·         Explore the regions of the British Isles through myths and folklore from English Heritage.

·         Discover poetry with a sense of place, created by local people, from Places of Poetry

·         Create your own map of London displaying selected historical data from the Locating London’s Past project. 

Come and explore the many maps and books about maps currently on display in the Library, and try out one of the interactive maps on the big screen, or contribute to our maps and flags jigsaw puzzle.

We would like to thank Tony Painter for his inspiring talk entitled The Mystery and History of Maps, delivered at the College on 7 November, and Liz Manterfield who kindly lent many of the maps on display in the library and created the captions.