{"id":1814431,"date":"2023-05-12T12:08:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1814431"},"modified":"2023-05-12T12:08:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T16:08:50","slug":"atlas-of-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2023\/05\/atlas-of-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Atlas of Design, Vol. 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late last year I received, as a review copy, the sixth volume of the Atlas of Design<\/em><\/a>. Things being what they are around here, there has been somewhat of a gap between receiving it, reading it, and saying something about it. But it\u2019s worth saying something about that volume now, and the Atlas of Design<\/em><\/a> in general, for at least one small reason I\u2019ll get to in a moment.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned the Atlas of Design<\/em> series before, but it\u2019s worth introducing it properly. Published every two years since 2012 by the North American Cartographic Information Society, the Atlas of Design<\/em> is powered by volunteer editors and contributor submissions. Nobody\u2019s getting paid for working on or appearing in these volumes\u2014though it must be said that many of these maps are commercial ventures (posters available for sale at the mapper\u2019s website) or works for hire (National Geographic<\/em> and the Washington Post<\/em> are represented in volume six), so the mapmakers aren\u2019t doing this just<\/em> for the exposure.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

All the same, the production values are, if volume six is any indication, pretty close to first-rate.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Which is to be expected when this much graphic design firepower is brought together in one place. The maps\u201432<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> of them in volume six\u2014are reproduced marvellously. Many of the maps are large and detailed, so closeups showing that detail often accompany a reduced-size full look at the map; this is absolutely necessary in some cases, such as Jug Cerovic\u2019s transport map of Takamatsu<\/a>, Eric Knight\u2019s panoramic map of the Alps<\/a>, or Alex McPhee\u2019s map of Alberta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More than a few of these maps are familiar, having been shared widely online, and some of them have even been featured on this website. Not for the first time have I found in print form something that I see as a kindred spirit to what I\u2019m trying to do here on The Map Room. Indeed, what I appreciate most about the Atlas of Design<\/em> is its commitment\u2014one that I share\u2014to covering the full diversity of what constitutes maps and mapmaking.<\/p>\n

What I mean about that is this. I\u2019ve often noticed that when people are passionate about a thing, what they really are is passionate about a subset<\/em> of that thing\u2014without really being aware of it. Ask someone if they\u2019re into music, generally, and they\u2019ll say yes, generally, even if there are entire genres they have no interest in: for example, most of the guys who are really into vinyl records (and yes they\u2019re generally guys) seem to be mainly into classic rock or electronica. The same is true of other cultural fields: avid readers rarely read every genre avidly. The rest of the field is kind of a blind spot.<\/p>\n

Is this also true of maps? You\u2019d expect some siloing of interests to occur: people who collect 16th-century maps aren\u2019t necessarily interested in the latest turns of the geospatial industry. And yet I\u2019ve found that people who are interested in maps are interested in all<\/em> kinds of maps, at least to some extent. (The Map Room wouldn\u2019t still be a going concern after 20 years if they weren\u2019t.)<\/p>\n

And the Atlas of Design<\/em> provides some evidence in support of that point, because if there\u2019s one thing you can\u2019t<\/em> say about the maps contained therein, it\u2019s that they\u2019re all the same. This is by design; as the editors wrote last year<\/a> during the submission period, \u201cThere are no restrictions on subject matter, geography, or language. And if you want to send us a map of planet Qo\u2019noS written entirely in Klingon, we\u2019d love to see that, too.\u201d<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> There are maps that are hand-drawn and maps that are data-driven, maps that are deeply personal (including a couple of lockdown maps and a map of a canoe trip) and maps that show a single data layer. There are transit maps and panoramic pictorials and fantasy maps, population maps, and there\u2019s Kenneth Field\u2019s iconic map of the 2020 U.S. presidential election<\/a>, done in screws and butcher block.<\/p>\n

\"Atlas<\/p>\n

But there are some caveats to this diversity and (in the secular sense) catholicity. One, obviously, is that these are recent maps made by working (or at least living) cartographers and artists who took the time to submit them for consideration. Another is that regardless of whether they were produced digitally or with pen and ink (or butcher block and screws), these are static<\/em> maps. They\u2019re being reproduced in the pages of a book. So you\u2019re not going to get screencaps of an ArcGIS story map or dashboard, or any other sort of interactive map. But honestly, the point of most interactive maps is the data rather than the presentation; the point of these maps is very much their presentation. This is, after all, a showcase of map design<\/em>: look, it\u2019s right there in the title! And it\u2019s fascinating to see just how much range there is out there in mapmaking land.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just as true if you look back at the sample maps from previous issues: see volumes one<\/a>, two<\/a>, three<\/a>, four<\/a> and five<\/a>. And it\u2019s just gotten a lot easier to own the complete set. It was announced last week that the first four volumes of the Atlas of Design<\/em> are being reprinted<\/a>; there\u2019s a discount for a couple of the volumes if you pre-order before May 15 (that\u2019s Monday!), as well as if you\u2019re a NACIS member. Which is to say that all six volumes are (back) in print and available for order<\/a>. That might be something to consider.<\/p>\n

From last November: MapLab<\/em> on volume six of the Atlas of Design<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Previously: David Nuttall\u2019s Maps of Fictional Places<\/a>; Atlas of Design, Volume 3<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Late last year I received, as a review copy, the sixth volume of the Atlas of Design. Things being what they are around here, there has been somewhat of a gap between receiving it, reading… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1814437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,29],"tags":[30,95,689],"class_list":["post-1814431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-cartography","tag-books","tag-map-design","tag-nacis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/atlas-of-design-cover.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3382,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/11\/atlas-of-design-volume-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":0},"title":"Atlas of Design, Volume 3","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"16 November 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"The third volume of the\u00a0Atlas of Design\u00a0is now available for pre-order and will ship some time\u00a0this month.\u00a0The Atlas's 32 maps are listed here; Wired\u2019s report\u00a0has a gallery of some of them. At least one or two will probably look familiar to\u00a0my regular readers.\u00a0Published by the North American Cartographic Information Society\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cartography"","block_context":{"text":"Cartography","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/cartography\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1835451,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2024\/12\/book-roundup-december-2024\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":1},"title":"Book Roundup: December 2024","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"20 December 2024","format":"link","excerpt":"Atlas of Design, vol. 7 A lack of time and energy have conspired to prevent me from serving up a gift guide this year, but I can point you to a few links related to books that have come out this year. First up, I have in my hands a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/atlas-design-v7-lutz.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":992,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/02\/the-north-carolina-civil-war-atlas\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":2},"title":"The North Carolina Civil War Atlas","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"23 February 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"The result of a decade's worth of research, The Old North State at War: The North Carolina Civil War Atlas, written by Mark Anderson Moore with Jessica Bandel and Michael Hill, is now available. The book \"is a comprehensive study of the impact of the war on the Tar Heel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"NC Civil War Atlas Cover PROOF 3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/old-north-state-300x198.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1788016,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2019\/10\/the-atlas-of-boston-history\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":3},"title":"The Atlas of Boston History","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"31 October 2019","format":"link","excerpt":"The Atlas of Boston History, edited by Boston historian Nancy S. Seasholes, came out last week from the University of Chicago Press. It features 57 full-colour spreads\u2014for a complete list, plus some examples, go here\u2014that trace the city\u2019s history from the post-glacial period to the present day through maps, photos,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History"","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Atlas of Boston History (book cover)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/atlas-boston-history-237x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1810344,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2022\/12\/2022-holiday-gift-guide\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":4},"title":"2022 Holiday Gift Guide","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"6 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Once again, I\u2019m a bit late with my annual gift guide. The idea of which is, if you have a map-obsessed person in your life and would like to give them something map-related\u2014or you are a map-obsessed person and would like your broad hints to have something to link to\u2014this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gift Guides"","block_context":{"text":"Gift Guides","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/gift-guides\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/the-cartographers-99x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1785841,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2018\/07\/a-collection-of-rand-mcnally-road-atlas-covers\/","url_meta":{"origin":1814431,"position":5},"title":"A Collection of Rand McNally Road Atlas Covers","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 July 2018","format":"link","excerpt":"The Rand McNally Road Atlas has long been a staple of North American travellers. The company\u2014still around\u2014is celebrating the atlas's 95th edition by putting out a retrospective volume of the road atlas's covers: American Journey: A Treasury of Rand McNally Road Atlas Covers (Rand McNally, 3 June) is a slim\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/american-journey.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/american-journey.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/american-journey.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/american-journey.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1814431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1814431"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1814431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1814444,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1814431\/revisions\/1814444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1814437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1814431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1814431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1814431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}