Theatre of the World. The Maps that Made History

 A beautifully illustrated book of a Norwegian explorer offers a fascinating history of mapmaking, the author takes us all the way from the mysterious symbols of early humans to Google Earth, showing how the ability to envision what the world looked like developed hand in hand with worldwide exploration. Along the way, we meet amazing scenes: the dramatic search for the Northwest Passage, the mysterious Panotti Islands ‘in which the natives have ears covering the whole of their bodies, which are otherwise left naked’, the unexpected discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and continental drift, the adventures of the V-2 rocket, culminating in the advent of the Transit satellite system and GPS.

Thomas Reinertsen Berg. Theatre of the World. The Maps that Made History / translated from Norwegian: Evgeniya Vorobyov; Editor Sergey Kokurin. - M.: Ad Marginem Press, 2023.