Maps Get a New History – Celebrating Volume Six of The History of Cartography

Why do maps need a new history? Maps and mapping technology have become global in every sense of the word—appearing like magic on our hand-held devices, influencing our news, informing education, describing the human genome, and inspiring poetry. People, cultures, and societies have produced and used maps through the ages. The History of Cartography Project has now published a new volume that examines mapping in the twentieth century.

On Saturday, April 25, 2015, please join the University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries and the Friends of the Libraries in celebrating the recent release of Cartography in the Twentieth Century, ed. Mark Monmonier, Volume Six of The History of Cartography series, in Science Hall (550 N. Park Street, Madison). The event begins at 4:00 pm with a talk by History of Cartography Project Director Matthew Edney in Room 180. A reception follows from 5:00–7:00 pm in the Geography Library (Room 280).

Come enjoy an interactive display on twentieth-century cartography and talk with Project editors and staff, who prepare the series at the UW–Madison. You can be one of the first to browse the print and e-book versions of Volume Six. UW staff will also provide tours of the Arthur H. Robinson Map Library and the Cartography Laboratory in Science Hall. This is your chance to find out what happened in the pivotal twentieth century—from World War I to web-based wayfinding and the Weather Channel.

A complementary exhibit, Mapmaking: Sources from the Geography Library, Map Library, and Special Collections, will be on display in the Department of Special Collections in Memorial Library (728 State Street, Room 976). The exhibit runs from April 15 through August 14, 2015, with special hours from 1:00–4:00 pm on Saturday, April 25.

The History of Cartography is an award-winning series, published by the University of Chicago Press, which investigates maps as the products of human art, politics, science, and life. Earlier publications in the series cover prehistory through the Renaissance and are freely accessible online at press.uchicago.edu/books/HOC/.

Volumes studying the Enlightenment and nineteenth century are well underway. Volume Six uses 529 articles contributed by more than 300 experts and more than 1,100 full-color images to discuss a wide range of topics, including how twentieth-century cartography has been a tool for coping with complexity, organizing knowledge, and influencing public opinion.