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I realize not everyone has access to it, but the current issue of
Portolan, the Journal of the Washington Map Society, has an excellent
and in places highly amusing review of this book by member Leigh
Lockwood. Leigh makes an important point: his wife, who is not a
maphead but has lived with his cartophilia for years, really enjoyed the
book and found it very funny. He finally wrestled it back, pleading
that he had a deadline approaching for the review. The book may
therefore be of interest not only to map wonks but to those who lovingly
enable our strange fixation.
Bert Johnson, WMS
On 11/20/2011 4:38 PM, J. B. Post wrote:
This is a MapHist list message (when you hit 'reply' you're replying to the
whole list)
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I've just finished Ken Jennings' MAPHEAD (Scribners [Simon &
Schuster], 2011). It's a personal and rambling account of his own
cartophilia and his encounters with mapdom's neighboring realms of
obsessive travel, geographic "bees," "road geekery," and geocaching
with a side trip to the London Map Fair. When he does get to the
history of cartography, it is what everyone on this list knows.
Jenningstells of his love of maps and the use others have made of maps
in their obsessions. If this book ever comes out in an inexpensive
paperback, it's the sort of book one suggests as a starting place.
Not so much for the history of cartography, but as a peek at the wider
world of mapdom in all its glory and many aspects. His enthusiasm and
humor come across, but many of his allusions to things in popular
culture may become incomprehensible in a few decades except to
historians of popular culture. But this is a book for the here and
now which shares one man's excitement with maps.
Jenningswas a top wilnner on the game show "Jeopardy." Maybe what we
need are more celebrities confessing to a liking of maps.
JBP
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_______________________________________________
MapHist: E-mail discussion group on the history of cartography
hosted by the Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht.
The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of
the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of
Utrecht. The University of Utrecht does not take any responsibility for
the views of the author.
List Information: http://www.maphist.nl
Maphist mailing list
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http://mailman.geo.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/maphist
