The Library of Lost Maps

From renowned geographer James Cheshire, a four-color tour through a forgotten collection of maps that shaped over 200 years of Western history. Tucked just beyond a clutter of offices and a lecture hall in the heart of London, there lies a turquoise door. Years ago, James Cheshire stepped through and was astonished by what he found: thousands of maps and atlases, bulging from wooden drawers and glass cabinets. It was a map library-an Aladdin's cave of cartographic treasures.

In The Library of Lost Maps, Cheshire transports us to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when the maps before him were wielded for war and used to negotiate during peace; when the charts housed in the library traced, for the first time, the icy peaks of the Himalayas and the deepest depths of the ocean. Maps have played a vital role in shaping our scientific knowledge of the world, inspiring the theory of plate tectonics and showing the impacts of climate change. They have also guided politicians, encouraging both beneficial reforms and horrific conquests, the consequences of which we continue to live with today.

Brimming with surprising discoveries and stunning four-color map reproductions, The Library of Lost Maps unveils the power of maps to remind us of our past and inspire us toward a better future.