Book Review: The Art of Illustrated Maps: A Complete Guide to Creative Mapmaking's History, Process and Inspiration

The Art of Illustrated Maps provides a very detailed look into the history of illustrated mapmaking from almost 2,000 years ago to present day. It talks about the significance maps have over the years, the importance, especially during the war, and the evolution afterwards.

The book also talks about prominent geographers and cartographers from the past, and how maps were actually created back then, the process and the challenges of making them accurate. Many of the olden days maps which you will see in the book are focused more on the aesthetic side while the modern illustrated maps are still focused on that but with an emphasis on accuracy. Author and map designer John Roman has provided an extensive writeup into mapmaking that even includes talking about the design elements, such as using the golden mean, symbols and colours.

Roman has also included a section that talks about his own process to illustrating maps. The section has many examples of his own maps commissioned by others, sketches, and captions.

The last section of the book features contemporary map illustrations from other artists. In this section you get to see artists using their own interpretation and style to create maps their own way. There are lots of fun maps to look at.

Overall, it's a great book for those who want to learn about the history and process of illustrated map making.

Another related book that I would recommend is A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers.

The Art of Illustrated Maps: A Complete Guide to Creative Mapmaking's History, Process and Inspiration is available at Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | JP | CN)

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