With Krakatoa proving to be a volcanic event in publishing, interest in Pacific Ocean maps is higher than ever before. But while current maps are useful, the antique maps truly fascinate. Ancient maps of Oceania hold mysteries as old as time - were these early guides molded as much by fantasy as fact? Why did mapmakers take liberties with some of their subjects? Early Mapping of the Pacific bravely delves into these questions.
 

The most comprehensive and useful reference to early maps of Canada, profusely illustrated with facsimiles. Only available as a set. Vol I (1540-1703 ), Vol II (1703-1799), Vol III (1703-1799), Vol IV (1703-1799)
 

Maps of Discovery and Scientific Exploration 1500-2000 Author: Derek Hayes A superb illustrated history of the world's great ocean, seen through the eyes of those who discovered and mapped it.
The Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest expanse of sea, was only “discovered” when it was found that the continent of America blocked the way to Cathay. Another continent implied another ocean between it and the shores of Asia. Virtually nothing was known about this new ocean, but mapmakers did not usually let lack of knowledge interfere with making their maps; they used their imaginations to fill in the gaps.

In spite of an accelerated pace of exploration, knowledge of the ocean itself remained shrouded in mystery until the laying of submarine telegraph cables during the second half of the nineteenth century. New and increasingly sophisticated oceanographic expeditions probed the secrets of the Pacific’s depths in the first half of the twentieth century; with the advent of modern technology, in particular the satellite, comprehensive and near-continuous monitoring of the ocean became possible.

This stunning book is a historical atlas of the North Pacific Ocean and its shores— the coastlines of China, Korea, Japan, Russia, the United States and Canada. It is a treasure chest of five hundred years of maps, from antique maps drawn at the beginning of the sixteenth century to modern satellite images of today. All the important voyages of exploration are covered, illustrated with the explorers’ own maps or maps contemporary with the voyages.

Additional Notes:
31 black-and-white illustrations, 12 full-colour illustrations
202 colour maps, 83 black-and-white maps

Categories: History

Subjects: Maritime


Imprint: Douglas & McIntyre
Rights Held: World
Cloth • 224 pages 9 1/2 x 12 3/4 inches September 2001
 

THE HISTORICAL ATLAS OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IS A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL MAPS DRAWN BY EXPLORERS AND SURVEYORS, NATIVES AND NAVIGATORS FROM FOUR CENTURIES OF VOYAGES AND OVERLAND TREKS OF EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY. THE MAPS ARE COMBINED WITH THEIR STORIES - HOW THEY CAME TO BE DRAWN, AND THE HISTORY BEHIND THEM.
 

Naming places after oneself is one of the perks of being an explorer, as the geographical nomenclature of the Arctic testifies. It is also politic to gratify one's sponsors, so names of European royals, a U.S. president, and a distiller also dot the vast north. Four hundred years of finding and naming, from Frobisher Bay to Laptev Sea to Prince Charles Island, are literally displayed in this work. It reproduces cartography constructed from information brought back by expedition leaders--or often by their surviving subordinates. Compiler Hayes provides summary narratives of major ventures, such as Russia's Great Northern Expedition of the 1730s, but the heart of the work beats with the visual elegance and accuracy of the 300 maps included. Except for the modern, satellite-generated charts Hayes shows, most are super-rare, under archival lock-and-key or in private collections. Map lovers will find in Hayes' pricey album the access they're unlikely to obtain personally. REVWR Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Book Description The vast empty spaces of the Poles were the last frontier to be assailed by explorers intent on achieving a geographical goal--the North Pole was finally reached in 1909. But long before that men sailed the seas searching for an easier and shorter path to the riches of the orient, and the mapmakers of the day translated sparse information, turning it into often stunningly beautiful maps. The fact that most of the information required to make such a map was missing or erroneous mattered little; the maps live on as testimony to hopes and dreams. The idea that the Arctic Ocean was an open sea, unable to freeze due to movement and size, drove early mariners to attempt to sail across the top of the world to reach the spices of the east. In so doing, maps were made showing the routes men thought they could take, and the routes they actually took, which were usually vastly different.
Almost 200 historical maps, many never before reproduced, from collections around the world, illustrate all the significant Arctic explorations from the sixteenth century until well into the twentieth. Readable yet scholarly text informs the maps, as each double-page spread tells a story in itself.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Hardcover: 210 pages Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre (October, 2003) Language: English
 

The first book to tell the urban and social history of the world's first modern city through maps--from crude woodblock engravings depicting Verrazano's first glimpse of New York Harbor in the 16th century to the latest satellite photographs of the island of Manhattan. These rare and mostly never-before-published maps span four centuries. 64 color illustrations