A History Of The 20th Century In 100 Maps

Product Description

A History of the 20th Century in 100 Maps is a truly fascinating book, even for all of us in Stanfords who are well used to seeing interesting maps & posters! The 100 maps, many accompanied by additional photos & reproductions of posters or letters, show how the 20th century was a golden age of map-making & maps permeated almost every aspect of daily life. It was a century overshadowed by war but also marked by tremendous social & technological change to which millions of contemporary maps bear witness. Most were created for a specific & immediate purpose, & have never been reprinted or discussed, until now. From the first British concentration camps to the only Nazi labour camp on British soil, & from a trench map used at the Battle of the Somme to an escape & evasion map from the first Gulf War, this book explores the cartographic legacy of 20th-century conflict, from top-secret documents to mass propaganda. These 100 maps tell many stories, revealing changing social attitudes towards the unfamiliar & unconventional, from Jewish London at the turn of the century to women in the workplace, & from the Edwardian opium trade to gay London in the 1980s. The maps cover the peak of imperial pageantry as well as rapid post-war decolonisation, & they explore technological change from the expansion of the London Underground system to 1980s computer games. The book tells the story of a ` British` 20th century, but one which has been interpreted in the broadest possible sense, culturally & geographically. Informative descriptions put every map in a wider context & if you want to read about Edward Stanford’s contribution to 20th century mapping, it’s on page 67.