Scotland: Mapping the Nation

by Christopher Fleet, Margaret Wilkes, Charles W. J. Withers

Overview

Winner of the Saltire Society Research Book of the Year

Whilst documents and other written material are obvious resources that help shape our view of the past, maps too can say much about a nation's history. This is the first book to take maps seriously as a form of history, from the earliest representations of Scotland by Ptolemy in the second century AD to the most recent form of Scotland's mapping and geographical representation in GIS, satellite imagery and SATNAV.

Compiled by three experts who have spent their lives working with maps, Scotland: Mapping the Nation offers a fascinating and thought-provoking perspective on Scottish history which is beautifully illustrated with complete facsimiles and details of hundreds of the most significant manuscript and printed maps from the National Library of Scotland and other institutions, including those by Timothy Pont, Joan Blaeu and William Roy, amongst many others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780274836
Publisher:	Birlinn, Limited
Publication date:	12/26/2017
Edition description:	Second edition
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	983,828
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.90(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Chris Fleet studied Geography at the University of Durham. He is Senior Map Curator in the National Library of Scotland. In 2010, he was awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society Margaret Wilkes is a Member of the Steering Committee of the Scottish Maps Forum, a Director of The Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Convenor of its Collections & Information Committee and Joint Chairman of its Edinburgh Centre. Charles W.J. Withers is Professor of Historical Geography at the University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Editorial Reviews

The book is lavishly illustrated, with detailed expansive captions, often explaining what to look for or what is significant about the particular illustration. The maps are described in detail in the text and where they fit in the overall story being told. Digital versions of many of the maps are available through the National Library of Scotland’s excellent growing online map collection. It should be noted that the book was written in association with the library. For anyone interested in
maps, this book is delightful to read. The contextual history will help the researcher understand what one’s ancestor may have known about his own locality or country.

FGS FORUM

mixes lavish illustration with academic rigour and engaging anecdotes'

Sunday Herald

much more than a visual treat . . . elegantly written, thoroughly referenced and exsquisitely presented'

Scotland TES

Some books are simply so magnificent in their scope and execution you know they are destined to become classics from the moment you open the cover and begin to turn the pages. "Scotland: Mapping the Nation" is one of those books'

Undiscovered Scotland

"[. . .]mixes lavish illustration with academic rigour and engaging anecdotes."  —Sunday Herald

"A model of how to combine scholarship with popular reach . . . a pleasure to read."  —Journal of Historical Geography

"A real treasure of a book."  —Alexander McCall Smith, Mail on Sunday

"Anyone who enjoys poring over old maps will be thrilled by this lavish publication."  —Scottish Field

"Much more than a visual treat . . . elegantly written, thoroughly referenced and exsquisitely presented."  —Times Educational Supplement, Scotland

From the Publisher