Magnificent Maps is a hardback companion publication produced by the British Library to commemorate their cartographic exhibition of the same name. Maps have been used for centuries as examples of power, propaganda & art, having a significant impact throughout history. Yet the majority of these often truly magnificent maps have rarely survived. Magnificent Maps takes the best surviving examples
- over 130 different illustrations
- from Ancient Rome to a recent important example from Grayson Perry, to re-establish manuscript, painted & mural maps as a major cultural medium, particularly in early modern Europe. The book illustrates the settings in which they were displayed & discusses the background & purpose of individual examples. Sourced from one of the greatest map collections in the world, many of these visual delights will be completely new even to experts.