Product Overview
The map is not the territory is a cartographic truism. It means that unless the map is drawn on a mile-to-mile scale and has the same physical characteristics as the territory itself, it cannot be perfectly accurate. But as David Turnbull demonstrates, the map is a metaphor not only for the territory it represents but for the culture that created it. As such, it takes on the meaning of the territory and its importance in that culture.
In this ingenious book, Turnbull challenges common assumptions about the nature of cartography. In each of ten exhibits he addresses a seemingly basic conceptthat a map is be factually accurate, for example, or that its symbols refer to concrete elements of the landscapeand then illustrates its complexities with maps from Western, Asian, and native cultures, from prehistoric to modern times, accompanied by quotations and historical background. The exhibits show how different cultures express their relation to the land, and how those differences ultimately define not only territory but also dominationreligious, ideological, cultural, and political.
An ideal introduction to the concepts of cartography, this book teaches not only how to read maps, but how to read them between the lines.
In this ingenious book, Turnbull challenges common assumptions about the nature of cartography. In each of ten exhibits he addresses a seemingly basic conceptthat a map is be factually accurate, for example, or that its symbols refer to concrete elements of the landscapeand then illustrates its complexities with maps from Western, Asian, and native cultures, from prehistoric to modern times, accompanied by quotations and historical background. The exhibits show how different cultures express their relation to the land, and how those differences ultimately define not only territory but also dominationreligious, ideological, cultural, and political.
An ideal introduction to the concepts of cartography, this book teaches not only how to read maps, but how to read them between the lines.
