AN ATLAS OF GEOGRAPHICAL WONDERS - PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS

9781616898236

Gilles Palsky, Jean-Marc Besse and Philippe Grand

This is the first book to catalog comparative maps and tableaux that visualize the heights and lengths of the world's mountains and rivers. Produced predominantly in the nineteenth century, these beautifully rendered maps emerged out of the tide of exploration and scientific developments in measuring techniques. Beginning with the work of explorer Alexander von Humboldt, these historic drawings reveal a world of artistic and imaginative difference. Many of them give way-and with visiblejoy-to the power of fantasy in a mesmerizing array of realistic and imaginary forms. Most of the maps are from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University.

Jean-Christophe Bailly teaches the history of landscape formation at the Ecole d'ingenieurs paysagistes (School of Landscape Architecture), Blois, France.

Gilles Palsky is a professor of geography at the University of Paris. He has published a history of statistical cartography of the nineteenth century.

Jean-Marc Besse is director of research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (UMR Geographie-cites).

Philippe Grand is the author of nine books of poetry and publisher of Fage editions of Lyon, France.