{"id":1845097,"date":"2025-10-31T08:22:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=1845097"},"modified":"2025-10-31T08:23:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:23:12","slug":"secret-maps-the-book","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-the-book\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret Maps, the Book"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Both<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t put two and two together. Secret Maps<\/a>, the British Library exhibition (previously<\/a>), has an accompanying book, because British Library exhibitions invariably come with books. And that book was already listed on my Map Books of 2025<\/a> page: Secret Maps: How they Conceal and Reveal the World<\/strong><\/em> by Tom Harper, Nick Dykes, and Magdalena Peszko, who curated the exhibition, is out now from British Library Publishing<\/a>; it comes out in the U.S. in a couple of weeks, under the title Secret Maps: Maps You Were Never Meant to See, from the Middle Ages to Today<\/strong><\/em>, from the University of Chicago Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secret Maps<\/strong><\/em> by Tom Harper, Nick Dykes and Magdalena Peszko. British Library<\/a>, 24 Oct 2025, \u00a340. University of Chicago Press<\/a>, 14 Nov 2025, $39. Amazon<\/a> (Canada<\/a>, UK<\/a>), Bookshop<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I didn\u2019t put two and two together. Secret Maps, the British Library exhibition (previously), has an accompanying book, because British Library exhibitions invariably come with books. And that book was already listed on my Map… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo","date":"2025-10-31T12:23:02+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m4ihqnuqe32n","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:hhxrnk4vub7jtlcl3ve26kjo\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m4ihqnuqe32n\",\"cid\":\"bafyreihn43jmdtquejym7iz52scc37rtrvbajkv5veorxmlbwcjaf4wyjm\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreihjfo2nfyxbr4u7zibxfirl3qqhfl4kmlpgdud5tkxebdnp7h3mru\",\"rev\":\"3m4ihqnuw7l2n\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[30,109,50],"class_list":["post-1845097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-antique-maps","tag-books","tag-british-library","tag-exhibitions","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1845119,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/11\/more-on-secret-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":0},"title":"More on Secret Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 November 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"Doug Specht has a piece about the British Library\u2019s exhibition Secret Maps in The Conversation. \u201cThe exhibition does not shy away from difficult topics. Maps tracing the infrastructure of apartheid, or those produced to facilitate war or surveillance, sit alongside playful artefacts such as the iconic Where\u2019s Wally? books. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1845090,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/10\/new-british-library-exhibition-secret-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":1},"title":"New British Library Exhibition: Secret Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"26 October 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"British Library A new exhibition opened at the British Library this weekend: Secret Maps. Maps have always been more than just tools for navigation \u2013 in the hand of governments, groups and individuals, maps create and control knowledge. In\u00a0Secret Maps, we trace the levels of power, coercion and secrecy that\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\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/secret-maps-banner.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2819,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/09\/british-library-exhibition-on-20th-century-maps-opening-in-november\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":2},"title":"British Library Exhibition on 20th Century Maps Opening in November","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 September 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"The British Library's upcoming exhibition,\u00a0Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line, runs from 4 November 2016 to 1 March 2017. Tickets\u00a0are now on sale. Two World Wars. The moon landings. The digital revolution. This exhibition of extraordinary maps looks at the important role they played during the 20th century.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3292,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/11\/opening-today-british-library-exhibition-on-20th-century-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":3},"title":"Opening Today: British Library Exhibition on 20th-Century Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 November 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line\u00a0opens today at the British Library. It runs until 1 March 2017. Admission is \u00a312, with reduced-price and\u00a0free\u00a0admissions in some cases. The Guardian\u2019s Mark Brown and the Spectator\u2019s Stephen Bayley have long and thoughtful pieces about the exhibition. The Independent\u2019s Simon Calder is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/events\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"maps-20th-drawing-line-book-cover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/maps-20th-drawing-line-book-cover-116x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1788753,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/04\/the-magnificent-maps-puzzle-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":4},"title":"The Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"16 April 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"I missed Philip Parker\u2019s Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book when it came out in Britain from British Library Publishing last October, but it seems to be available in North America this month (the logistics of delivering physical books during a pandemic permitting). From the publisher: \u201cIt features carefully devised questions inspired\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Games"","block_context":{"text":"Games","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/games\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Magnificent Maps Puzzle Book (cover)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/magnificent-maps-puzzle-book-195x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1788760,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2020\/04\/british-library-exhibitions-and-tv-programs-revisited\/","url_meta":{"origin":1845097,"position":5},"title":"British Library Exhibitions and TV Programs Revisited","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"22 April 2020","format":"link","excerpt":"BBC Four is rebroadcasting The Beauty of Maps, a four-episode series that coincided with the 2010 Magnificent Maps exhibition at the British Library. Two episodes broadcast so far, with the third this evening and the fourth tomorrow. They\u2019ll be on iPlayer for the next month. Meanwhile, the British Library\u2019s 2016\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antique Maps"","block_context":{"text":"Antique Maps","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/antique-maps\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845097","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=1845097"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845107,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1845097\/revisions\/1845107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1845097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1845097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1845097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}