100 Best Map Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World

Tim Marshall

5.0

In the bestselling tradition of Why Nations Fail and The Revenge of Geography, an award-winning journalist uses ten maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of the world powers.

All leaders of nations are constrained by geography. Their choices are limited by mountains, rivers, seas, and concrete. To understand world events, news organizations and other authorities often focu

Recommended by Lee Mckenzie, Lucas Morales, and Sunil Chhetri.

Lee Mckenzie

This is a great book and by far the best thing I have read for a while. If you are curious about the world in which we live, geopolitics or just fancy something a little different, you couldn’t do much better than this. Coffee optional! @Itwitius 👏🏻 #prisonersofgeography https://t.co/Gd3G2tDVyT [source]

Lucas Morales

Depending on your interest and goals, if you are like me and always looking for the trends in the big picture then I highly recommend being an active contrarian reader. Read what no one else is reading. Your goal is to think outside the box. To look at the world and ask “why hasn’t this been solved?” And that gives you a roadmap as to what opportunities may exist for your entrepreneurial efforts. So to that, here’s a snapshot, in no particular order, of what might help you push your intellectual boundaries: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by Paul Mason Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty Who Gets What--And Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design by Alvin E. Roth The Political Economy of Participatory Economics by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism by Jeremy Rifkin Why America Misunderstands the World by Paul R. Pillar A Theory of Justice by John Rawls Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall [source]

Sunil Chhetri

@TaranaRaja The cover got me and I'm sure the book is very, very interesting! [source]

2

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks

Ken Jennings

4.6

Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks is Ken's followup to his 2005 best-seller Brainiac. Much as Brainiac offered a behind-the-scenes look at the little-known demimonde of competitive trivia buffs, Maphead finally gives equal time to that other downtrodden underclass: America's map nerds.

In a world where geography only makes the headlines when college students are (endlessly)

Recommended by Brandon Sanderson.

Brandon Sanderson

A big congratulations to @KenJennings, my old college housemate, on his win tonight! Most people know him for game show appearances, but he's a great writer as well. I suggest his book Maphead, if you are interested. [source]

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3

Transit Maps of the World

Mark Ovenden

4.5

Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historic and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. Using glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the history of mass transit-including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication. Transit Maps is the graphic designer's new bib

4

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

4.5

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilb

Recommended by Richard Branson, Cressida Cowell, Lev Grossman, and 5 others.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]

Cressida Cowell

The Hobbit is such a richly imagined fantasy that, especially as a child, you can live in it. It is so completely immersive. [source]

Lev Grossman

First up, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, by JRR Tolkien. But you knew I was going to say that. This one book, which was published in 1937, defined so many variables for the fantasy tradition that are still in place today. Tolkien’s extraordinary achievement was to recover the epic landscapes of Anglo-Saxon myth, bring them back to life, and then to take us through them on foot, so we could see the details up close, at human scale. The Hobbit is both mythic and relatable at the same time – The New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik recently called it “an arranged marriage between the Elder Edda and The Wind in the Willows”, and I think that’s entirely fair. Though I would give more credit to the bass register of Tolkien’s imagination, its abyssal depths. Mole never delved as deep as the Mines of Moria. [source]

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5

Me on the Map

Joan Sweeney

4.5

Illustrated in full color. In this playful introduction to maps and geography, step by simple step, a young girl shows readers herself on a map of her room, her room on the map of her house, her house on the map of her street--all the way to her country on a map of the world. Once the reader is familiar with the maps, she demonstrates how readers can find their own country, state, and town--all th

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6

On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks

Simon Garfield

4.5

Cartography enthusiasts rejoice: the bestselling author of the Just My Type reveals the fascinating relationship between man and map.

Simon Garfield’s Just My Type illuminated the world of fonts and made everyone take a stand on Comic Sans and care about kerning. Now Garfield takes on a subject even dearer to our fanatical human hearts: maps.

Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could

7

Great Maps

Jerry Brotton

4.5

The world's finest maps explored and explained. From Ptolemy's world map to the Hereford's Mappa Mundi, through Mercator's map of the world to the latest maps of the Moon and Google Earth, Great Maps provides a fascinating overview of cartography through the ages.

Revealing the stories behind 55 historical maps by analyzing graphic close-ups, Great Maps also profiles key cartographers and explorers

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8

The Atlas of Middle-Earth

Karen Wynn Fonstad

4.4

Karen Wynn Fonstad's THE ATLAS OF MIDDLE-EARTH is an essential volume that will enchant all Tolkien fans. Here is the definitive guide to the geography of Middle-earth, from its founding in the Elder Days through the Third Age, including the journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship of the Ring. Authentic and updated -- nearly one third of the maps are new, and the text is fully revised -- the

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9

Maps

Aleksandra Mizielinska, Daniel Mizielinski

4.4

Travel the world without leaving your living room.

Much more than an ordinary atlas, this book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis. It features not only borders, cities, rivers, and peaks, but also places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals and plants, cultural events, and many

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10

Atlas of Remote Islands

Judith Schalansky, Christine Lo

4.4

A rare and beautifully illustrated journey to fifty faraway worlds.

There are still places on earth that are unknown. Visually stunning and uniquely designed, this wondrous book captures fifty islands that are far away in every sense-from the mainland, from people, from airports, and from holiday brochures. Author Judith Schalansky used historic events and scientific reports as a springboard for e

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11

You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination

Katharine Harmon

4.4

Mapmaking fulfills one of our most ancient and deepseated desires: understanding the world around us and our place in it. But maps need not just show continents and oceans: there are maps to heaven and hell; to happiness and despair; maps of moods, matrimony, and mythological places. There are maps to popular culture, from Gulliver's Island to Gilligan's Island. There are speculative maps of the w

12

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

Steven Johnson

4.4

From Steven Johnson, the dynamic thinker routinely compared to James Gleick, Dava Sobel, and Malcolm Gladwell, The Ghost Map is a riveting page-turner about a real-life historical hero, Dr. John Snow. It's the summer of 1854, and London is just emerging as one of the first modern cities in the world. But lacking the infrastructure—garbage removal, clean water, sewers—necessary to support its rapid

Recommended by Alison Alvarez, Seth Mnookin, and Stephen Evans.

Alison Alvarez

I read the Ghost Map, a book about 1854 London Cholera outbreak. The outbreak was stopped because of a map created by Dr. John Snow. You can see hints of this map in some of our customer discovery tools because it was such an effective way of pinpointing a solution to a seemingly insurmountable problem. [source]

Seth Mnookin

The Ghost Map is a book that I oftentimes give to people to show them how cool and exciting and accessible and gripping stories about scientific discoveries can be. [source]

Stephen Evans

Johnson looks at London during a specific moment in time, August 1854, and focuses on a particular incident, an outbreak of cholera in Soho, in Central London. [source]

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13

How to Lie with Maps

Mark Monmonier

4.4

An instant classic when first published in 1991, How to Lie with Maps revealed how the choices mapmakers make—consciously or unconsciously—mean every map inevitably presents only one of many possible stories about the places it depicts. The principles Mark Monmonier outlined back then remain true today, despite significant technological changes in the making and use of maps. The introduction and s

14

The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology

Simon Winchester

4.4

In 1793, a canal digger named William Smith made a startling discovery. He found that by tracing the placement of fossils, which he uncovered in his excavations, one could follow layers of rocks as they dipped and rose and fell -- clear across England and, indeed, clear across the world -- making it possible, for the first time ever, to draw a chart of the hidden underside of the earth. Determined

15

Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders

Joshua Foer

4.3

Inspiring equal parts wonder and wanderlust, Atlas Obscura celebrates over 600 of the strangest and most curious places in the world.

Here are natural wonders—the dazzling glowworm caves in New Zealand, or a baobob tree in South Africa that’s so large it has a pub inside where 15 people can drink comfortably. Architectural marvels, including the M.C. Escher-like stepwells in India. Mind-boggling ev

Recommended by Adam Savage and David Plotz.

Adam Savage

Atlas Obscura. Go to the site. Buy the book. Seriously great content. My favorite way to travel (this endorsement based only in love) @atlasobscura https://t.co/zLMm126yXD [source]

David Plotz

I'm here to solve your holiday gift buying problems! Today we release the Second Edition of the No. 1 bestselling Atlas Obscura book, with 100 new wondrous places, 12 city guides, a foldout map. It's gorgeous and fun and an amazing gift. https://t.co/ids7kNjImW https://t.co/95ULoJOKJg [source]

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16

A History of the World in 12 Maps

Jerry Brotton

4.3

A fascinating look at twelve maps—from Ancient Greece to Google Earth—and how they changed our world

In this masterful study, historian and cartography expert Jerry Brotton explores a dozen of history’s most influential maps, from stone tablet to vibrant computer screen. Starting with Ptolemy, "father of modern geography," and ending with satellite cartography, A History of the World in 12 Maps br

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17

Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance Survey

Mike Parker

4.3

"My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said " Maps not only show the world, they help it turn. On an average day, we will consult some form of map approximately a dozen times, often without even noticing: checking the A-Z, the road atlas, or the Sat Nav, scanning the tube or bus map, a quick Google online, or hours wasted flying over a virtual Earth, navigating a way around a shopping

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18

The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands

Huw Lewis-Jones, Philip Pullman

4.3

It’s one of the first things we discover as children, reading and drawing: Maps have a unique power to transport us to distant lands on wondrous travels. Put a map at the start of a book, and we know an adventure is going to follow. Displaying this truth with beautiful full-color illustrations, The Writer’s Map is an atlas of the journeys that our most creative storytellers have made throughout th

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19

Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline

Anthony Grafton, Daniel Rosenberg

4.3

What does history look like? How do you draw time?

From the most ancient images to the contemporary, the line has served as the central figure in the representation of time. The linear metaphor is ubiquitous in everyday visual representations of time—in almanacs, calendars, charts, and graphs of all sorts. Even our everyday speech is filled with talk of time having a "before" and an "after" or bein

Recommended by Ann Blair.

Ann Blair

This is a beautiful book, wonderfully illustrated with a plethora of examples of how historical time has been visualised across a broad chronological span. The notion of visually representing the passage of time dates back to antiquity. The chapter on Eusebius – how in the fourth century he used tables to match up the biblical account of time with ancient history – is fascinating. In the Middle Ages genealogies were often displayed on parchment scrolls, using variations on the tree theme. So there is a tremendously long tradition of tabular representations of time. [source]

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20

Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas

Rebecca Solnit

4.3

What makes a place? Infinite City, Rebecca Solnit’s brilliant reinvention of the traditional atlas, searches out the answer by examining the many layers of meaning in one place, the San Francisco Bay Area. Aided by artists, writers, cartographers, and twenty-two gorgeous color maps, each of which illuminates the city and its surroundings as experienced by different inhabitants, Solnit takes us on

21

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Edward R. Tufte

4.3

The classic book on statistical graphics, charts, tables. Theory and practice in the design of data graphics, 250 illustrations of the best (and a few of the worst) statistical graphics, with detailed analysis of how to display data for precise, effective, quick analysis. Design of the high-resolution displays, small multiples. Editing and improving graphics. The data-ink ratio. Time-series, relat

Recommended by Bret Victor and Michael Okuda.

Michael Okuda

Edward Tufte's classic book, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information is a fascinating, surprisingly readable treatise for anyone interested in infographics. When I hired artists for the Star Trek graphics dept, I sometimes asked them to read it.https://t.co/cK4GQqBDxp [source]

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22

A Map of the World According to Illustrators and Storytellers

Antonis Antoniou, R. Klanten, H. Ehmann, H. Hellige

4.3

Maps help us understand the world. This book features the most original and sought-after map illustrators whose work is in line with the zeitgeist. Drawing a map means understanding our world a bit better. For centuries, we have used the tools of cartography to represent both our immediate surroundings and the world at large--and to convey them to others. On the one hand, maps are used to illustra

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23

The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime

Miles Harvey

4.2

Now in paperback, this "USA Today" Best Book of 2000 tells the story of a curious crime spree: the theft of scores of valuable, centuries-old maps from some of the most prominent research libraries in the United States and Canada. When all was said and done, Gilbert Joseph Bland, Jr., had become the Al Capone of cartography. 20 illustrations throughout.

24

The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)

J. R. R. Tolkien, Rob Inglis, et al

4.2

Alternate cover edition here.

The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragorn, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by Orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered

25

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

Dava Sobel

4.2

Anyone alive in the eighteenth century would have known that "the longitude problem" was the thorniest scientific dilemma of the day—and had been for centuries. Lacking the ability to measure their longitude, sailors throughout the great ages of exploration had been literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Thousands of lives, and the increasing fortunes of nations, hung on a resol

Recommended by Richard Branson.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]

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26

The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name

Toby Lester

4.2

"Old maps lead you to strange and unexpected places, and none does so more ineluctably than the subject of this book: the giant, beguiling Waldseemuller world map of 1507." So begins this remarkable story of the map that gave America its name. For millennia Europeans believed that the world consisted of three parts: Europe, Africa, and Asia. They drew the three continents in countless shapes and s

27

Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief

Jordan B. Peterson

4.2

Preview Summary

Why have people from different cultures and eras formulated myths and stories with similar structures? What does this similarity tell us about the mind, morality, and structure of the world itself? Jordan Peterson offers a provocative new hypothesis that explores the connection between what modern neuropsychology tells us about the brain and what rituals, myths, and religious stories have long nar

28

The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)

J. R. R. Tolkien

4.2

The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continue

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29

The Map Book

Peter Barber

4.2

'Journey over all the universe in a map, without the expense and fatigue of traveling, without suffering the inconveniences of heat, cold, hunger, and thirst.' --Miguel de Cervantes, in Don Quixote

From the earliest of times, maps have fired our imaginations and helped us make sense of our world, from the global to the very local. Head of Map Collections at the British Library, Peter Barber has her

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30

Mapping Penny's World

Loreen Leedy

4.2

Lisa and her dog, Penny, learn the basics of mapmaking in this delightful sequel to Measuring Penny

Lisa's class is learning how to make maps. The teacher says they can make maps of anyplace, so Lisa starts with her bedroom. She includes all the things that people will need to read the map, such as a scale and a key to the symbols she has used.

Her dog, Penny, helps with the map. This gives Lisa an

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31

There's a Map on My Lap!: All About Maps

Tish Rabe, Aristides Ruiz

4.2

The Cat in the Hat introduces beginning readers to maps–the different kinds (city, state, world, topographic, temperature, terrain, etc.); their formats (flat, globe, atlas, puzzle); the tools we use to read them (symbols, scales, grids, compasses); and funny facts about the places they show us (“Michigan looks like a scarf and a mitten! Louisiana looks like a chair you can sit in!”).

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32

Mapping Sam

Joyce Hesselberth

4.2

An adventurous cat named Sam explores her neighborhood at night.

Maps can show us streets and subways and cities and countries. But they can also show us what we can’t see, what we can only imagine, or how to build something. In Joyce Hesselberth’s Mapping Sam, Sam the cat puts her family to bed, and then—when all is quiet—heads out to explore her neighborhood.

As Sam follows her customary path, wan

33

The Phantom Atlas: The Greatest Myths, Lies and Blunders on Maps (Historical Map and Mythology Book, Geography Book of Ancient and Antique Maps)

Edward Brooke-Hitching

4.2

The Phantom Atlas is an atlas of the world not as it ever existed, but as it was thought to be. These marvellous and mysterious phantoms, non-existent islands, invented mountain ranges, mythical civilisations and other fictitious geography - were all at various times presented as facts on maps and atlases. This book is a collection of striking antique maps that display the most erroneous cartograp

34

Envisioning Information

Edward R. Tufte

4.2

The celebrated design professor here tackles the question of how best to communicate real-life experience in a two-degree format, whether on the printed page or the computer screen. The Whole Earth Review called Envisioning Information a "passionate, elegant revelation."

Recommended by Kevin Rose, Jeff Atwood, Bret Victor, and 1 others.

Kevin Rose

Co-founder/Digg

The master when it comes to taking complicated data and turning it into beautiful charts and graphs that are easy to understand. If you’re into graphic design, print design, web design, you name it, you’re going to get some really good information and how tos out of these books. He has a whole series of these books. [source]

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35

Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer

Peter Turchi

4.2

36

National Geographic Atlas of the World, 11th Edition

National Geographic

4.2

Created for all global citizens, this universally respected volume of world maps has been completely revised and updated with fascinating visualizations of international trends and global conditions.

National Geographic's flagship Atlas of the World, now in its 11th edition, provides authoritative maps of every country, ocean, and region of the world, as well as thematic maps and accompanying grap

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37

The Map Thief

Michael Blanding

4.2

The story of an infamous crime, a revered map dealer with an unsavory secret, and the ruthless subculture that consumed him

Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers—both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world. But to those who collect them, the map trade can be a cutthroat business, inhabited by quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of

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38

History of the World Map by Map

DK Publishing

4.2

More than 140 detailed maps tell the story of pivotal episodes in world history, from the first human migrations out of Africa to the space race.

Custom regional and global maps present the history of the world in action, charting how events traced patterns on land and ocean--patterns of exploration, discovery, or conquest that created empires, colonies, or theaters of war. Thoughtful organization

39

The Lord of the Rings

J.R.R. Tolkien, Dramatization, Ian Holm

4.2

A full-cast dramatization
approx. 4 hours
4 cassettes
J.R.R. Tolkien's
The Fellowship of the Ring
Order the audiobook today before the feature film release this holiday season.
J. R. R. Tolkien's groundbreaking epic of good versus evil, extraordinary heroes, wondrous creatures and dark armies of terror will be presented in a trilogy of feature films.
"The Fellowship of the Ring" - December 19, 2001
"T

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40

Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps

Chet Van Duzer

4.2

Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps

The sea monsters on medieval and Renaissance maps are one of their most visually engaging elements, and yet they have never before been carefully studied. The subject is important not only in the history of cartography, art, and zoological illustration, but also in the history of the geography of the marvelous and Western conceptions of the ocean. Moreo

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41

The Glass Sentence (The Mapmakers Trilogy, #1)

S. E. Grove

4.2

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods. Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack,

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42

My Heart Is a Compass

Deborah Marcero

4.2

In this celebration of the power of imagination, a creative girl on a mission to bring something new to the world becomes a storyteller and inventor of intricately detailed maps.

Rose's heart is set on discovering something that's never been found. She just doesn't know where to find it. So she sets off on a wondrous journey, bounding from one spectacular world to the next. Her only guides are a se

43

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1)

N. K. Jemisin

4.2

Three terrible things happen in a single day. Essun, masquerading as an ordinary schoolteacher in a quiet small town, comes home to find that her husband has brutally murdered their son and kidnapped their daughter. Mighty Sanze, the empire whose innovations have been civilization's bedrock for a thousand years, collapses as its greatest city is destroyed by a madman's vengeance. And worst of all,

Recommended by Jacquelyn Gill and John Lilly.

Jacquelyn Gill

@MaraWilson It’s such an amazing book. One of my all-time favorites—and the entire trilogy is that strong! [source]

John Lilly

@fredmcclimans First author to win 3 Hugos in a row. So: not bad! First book strongest imho, but all of it great. [source]

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44

Rand McNally 2020 Road Atlas Large Scale

Rand McNally

4.2

Give road-weary eyes a break with this spiral-bound Large Scale edition featuring all the accuracy you've come to expect from Rand McNally, only bigger. Updated atlas contains maps of every U.S. state that are 35% larger than the standard atlas version plus over 350 detailed city inset and national park maps and a comprehensive, unabridged index. Road construction and conditions contact informatio

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45

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet

Reif Larsen

4.2

Discover The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet for iPad.

A brilliant, boundary-leaping debut novel tracing twelve-year-old genius map maker T.S. Spivet's attempts to understand the ways of the world

When twelve-year-old genius cartographer T.S. Spivet receives an unexpected phone call from the Smithsonian announcing he has won the prestigious Baird Award, life as normal-if you consider mapping family di

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46

Cartographia: Mapping Civilizations

Vincent Virga, Library of Congress, Ronald E. Grim, James H. Billington

4.1

CARTOGRAPHIA offers a stunning array of 200 of the most beautiful, important, and fascinating maps in existence, from the world's largest cartographic collection, at the Library of Congress. These maps show how our idea of the world has shifted and grown over time, and each map tells its own unique story about nations, politics, and ambitions. The chosen images, with their accompanying stories, i

47

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass, #5)

Sarah J. Maa

4.1

This is a previously published edition of ISBN 9781619636071. An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

Kingdoms will collide.

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her

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48

Map of a Nation: A Biography of the Ordnance Survey

Rachel Hewitt

4.1

'Map of a Nation' tells the story of the creation of the Ordnance Survey map - the first complete, accurate, affordable map of the British Isles.

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49

The Once Upon a Time Map Book: Take a Tour of Six Enchanted Lands

B.G. Hennessy and Peter Joyce

4.1

"A charming concept. . . . Teaches rudiments of map reading and direction following in a friendly way, and it’s packed with diminutive images." — BOOKLIST

Imagine that fairy tales are real and can be explored in detail with the help of maps. Imagine navigating the mysteries of Aladdin's kingdom, the dangers of the Giant's kingdom at the top of Jack's beanstalk, and the whimsy of Alice's Wonderland.

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50

Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas

Rebecca Solnit, Rebecca Snedeker

4.1

Like the bestselling Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas, this book is a brilliant reinvention of the traditional atlas, one that provides a vivid, complex look at the multi-faceted nature of New Orleans, a city replete with contradictions. More than twenty essays assemble a chorus of vibrant voices, including geographers, scholars of sugar and bananas, the city's remarkable musicians, prison act

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51

Vargic's Miscellany of Curious Maps

Martin Vargic

4.1

EXPLORE THE WORLD AS YOU NEVER KNEW IT WITH VARGIC'S ASTONISHING MISCELLANY OF CURIOUS MAPS.

Vargic's Miscellany is a collection of 64 maps and infographics.

See the world mapped out by stereotypes; discover the Internet in cartographical form; marvel at the maps of global technology and culture; and explore the world through infographics and statistics.

This wonderful and strange atlas is a treasure

52

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #3)

Sarah J Maas

4.1

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre,

53

How the States Got Their Shapes

Mark Stein

4.1

Mark Stein is a playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been performed off-Broadway and at theaters throughout the country. His films include Housesitter, with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has taught at American University and Catholic University.

Recommended by Simon Kuestenmacher.

Simon Kuestenmacher

This map shows an attempt to redesign the borders of the United States to be more pleasing. Map source: https://t.co/0F3uPpZzRi Awesome book on the topic for map enthusiasts ("How the States got their shapes"): https://t.co/Y95fgzz3kr https://t.co/ow30ZHobjT [source]

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54

2020 Road Atlas

Rand McNally

4.1

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55

The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer

4.1

Hailed as “a classic. . . . humorous, full of warmth and real invention” (The New Yorker), this beloved story -first published more than fifty years ago- introduces readers to Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond.

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem

Recommended by Clara Jeffery and Julie Zhuo.

Clara Jeffery

The best kids book ever https://t.co/9f3UGfmPdi [source]

Julie Zhuo

To this day, I can think of no better book that captures the imagination, wonder and adventure of life that children so intuitively grasp. [source]

56

The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War

Thucydides, Robert B. Strassler, Richard Crawley, Victor Davis Hanson

4.1

Recommended by Gideon Rose, Joseph Nye, and Robert Service.

Gideon Rose

Thucydides is the single best treatment of international relations, foreign policy and military affairs that exists. It is the best description of what life in a multipolar world is like, what politics and war are like for the units involved, of the basic realities of international relations. It has no single line. [source]

Joseph Nye

when Thucydides is trying to account for the Peloponnesian War, an extraordinary war in the fifth century BC in which the Greek city-state system tore itself apart, he says the basic cause of the war was the rise in power of Athens and the fear that created in Sparta. He points out that when there is this kind of fear, and there is a belief that war is inevitable, it can itself become a cause of war. Some of the greatest wisdom on international politics and the rise and fall of power goes back to Thucydides in the fifth century BC. [source]

Robert Service

It was the trauma of Thucydides’ lifetime and in the book he sought to explain why the war had gone on so long and why Athens lost it. [source]

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57

The Anchor Atlas of World History, Vol 1: From the Stone Age to the Eve of the French Revolution

Gary Kinder

4.1

The first of two volumes offers a unique combination of over 270 color maps and illustrations with a detailed chronological summary. The accompanying text gives full details of the main cultural, scientific, religious, and political events of the centuries from the Old Stone Age to the eve of the French Revolution.

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58

The Anchor Atlas of World History, Vol 2: From the French Revolution to the American Bicentennial

Hermann Kinder, Werner Hilgemann, Ernest A. Menze

4.1

This second volume covers key events from the French Revolution to the American Bicentennial. It chronicles the discoveries, battles, inventions, political movements, treaties, elections, births, assassinations, coups & coronations that have shaped the modern world.

59

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass, #3)

Sarah J. Maas

4.1

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her

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60

All Over the Map: A Cartographic Odyssey

Betsy Mason

4.1

Created for map lovers by map lovers, this rich book explores the intriguing stories behind maps across history and illuminates how the art of cartography thrives today.

In this visually stunning book, award-winning journalists Betsy Mason and Greg Miller--authors of the National Geographic cartography blog "All Over the Map"--explore the intriguing stories behind maps from a wide variety of cul

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61

Maps and Globes

Jack Knowlton, Harriet Barton

4.1

This comprehensive look at geography and the environment, Maps and Globes, can take you anywhere—to the top of the tallest mountain on earth or the bottom of the deepest ocean. Maps tell you about the world: where various countries are located, where the jungles and deserts are, even how to find your way around your own hometown. If you take a fancy to any place on earth, you can go there today an

62

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2)

Sarah J. Maas

4.1

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeki

63

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)

Sarah J. Maa

4.1

This is a previously published edition of ISBN13: 9781599906959.

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins a

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64

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World

James R. Akerman, Robert W. Karrow Jr., John McCarter

4.1

Maps are universal forms of communication, easily understood and appreciated regardless of culture or language. This truly magisterial book introduces readers to the widest range of maps ever considered in one volume: maps from different time periods and a variety of cultures; maps made for divergent purposes and depicting a range of environments; and maps that embody the famous, the important, th

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65

Map of the Soul - 7: Persona, Shadow & Ego in the World of BTS

Murray Stein, Leonard Cruz, et al.

4.1

Beyond summarizing the three volumes on Persona, Shadow and Ego in the Map of the Soul series, this latest book explores the entire BTS album, start to finish, revealing profound insights into the collective psyche of BTS.

The title of BTS's latest album, Map of the Soul: 7, captivates the mind with its suggestive and alluring imagery. It came as a surprise to many fans. Expected was an album that

66

Fake Love Letters, Forged Telegrams, and Prison Escape Maps: Designing Graphic Props for Filmmaking

Annie Atkins

4.1

A behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary and meticulous design of graphic objects for film sets

Although graphic props such as invitations, letters, tickets, and packaging are rarely seen close-up by a cinema audience, they are designed in painstaking detail. Dublin-based designer Annie Atkins invites readers into the creative process behind her intricately designed, rigorously researched, and

Recommended by Rick O'shea.

Rick O'shea

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 @AnnieAtkins work is genuinely amazing (you'll have seen it on a screen somewhere near you) and a @Phaidon book is a major milestone in the work of any artist. Fair play 😎 https://t.co/qhPKEcyru2 [source]

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67

The Streets of Ankh-Morpork

Stephen Briggs, Terry Pratchett

4.1

'THERE'S A SAYING THAT ALL ROADS LEAD TO ANKH-MORPORK. AND IT'S WRONG. ALL ROADS LEAD AWAY FROM ANKH-MORPORK, BUT SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST WALK ALONG THE WRONG WAY' from Moving Pictures

Ankh-Morpork! City of One Thousand Surprises (according to the famous publication by the Guild of Merchants)! All human life is there! Although, if it walks down the wrong alley, often quite briefly!

The city celebrated

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68

Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds: 100 New Ways to See the World

Ian Wright

4.1

A singular atlas of 100 infographic maps from thought-provoking to flat-out fun

Publisher's note: Brilliant Maps for Curious Minds was published in the UK under the title Brilliant Maps.

Which countries don’t have rivers? Which ones have North Korean embassies? Who drives on the “wrong” side of the road? How many national economies are bigger than California’s? And where can you still find lions i

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69

Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking

Jill K. Berry

4.1

Explore your Creative Self with Mixed-media Maps

You don't have to be a world traveler or a professional cartographer to embark on a grand journey of self-discovery through mapmaking. Personal Geographies gives you the tools and techniques you'll need to create artful maps of your self, your experiences and your personal journey. Chart the innermost workings of your mind, document your artistic pat

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70

The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History

Colin McEvedy, David Woodroffe

4.1

This is a revised edition of "The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History".

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71

The Mapmakers

John Noble Wilford

4.1

In his classic text, two-time Pulitzer Prize—winner John Noble Wilford recounts the history of cartography from antiquity to the space age. With this revised edition, Wilford brings the story up to the present day, as he shows the impact of new technologies that make it possible for cartographers to go where no one has been before, from the deepest reaches of the universe (where astronomers are ma

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72

Mapping the World: An Illustrated History of Cartography

Ralph E Ehrenberg

4.1

Mapping the World is a one-of-a-kind collection of cartographic treasures that spans thousands of years and many cultures, from an ancient Babylonian map of the world etched on clay to the latest high-tech maps of the earth, seas, and the skies above. With more than one hundred maps and other illustrations and an introduction and running commentary by Ralph E. Ehrenberg, this book tells a fascinat

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73

Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills

Scot Ritchie

4.1

Maps are about far more than getting from a to b. Maps can help children understand and explore both their everyday environment and faraway places. With an appealing search-and-find technique, Follow That Map! is an interactive picture book that explains and demonstrates key mapping concepts. Kids will enjoy following Sally and her friends as they search for Max and Ollie, a mischievous dog and ca

Cover unavailable

74

How I Learned Geography

Uri Shulevitz

4.1

Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy's father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever lea

75

Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)

Leigh Bardugo

4.1

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged

76

National Geographic Road Atlas - Adventure Edition

National Geographic Maps

4.1

RD00620166 Features: -Highly detailed landscape maps.-Complete recreation guide.-Pages: 144.-Paper back.-Made in the USA. Dimensions: -Dimensions: 15'' H x 11'' W x 1'' D. Collection: -Recreation Atlases collection.-Adventure Travel Maps collection.

77

Rand McNally 2027 Large Scale Road Atlas

Rand McNally

4.1

Rand McNally 2027 Large Scale Road Atlas35% Larger Maps Than the Regular Road Atlas If having the most up to date and accurate maps developed by the #1 map company are important to you, then Rand McNally is your only choice. We have a 150+ year history of providing not just road and route guidance, but detailed information about states, points of interest, historic sites, and much more. Plus, this

Cover unavailable

78

Henry's Map

David Elliot

4.1

A fun-filled introduction to maps through the eyes of an adorable pig

Henry is a very particular sort of pig. "A place for everything and everything in its place," he always says. But when he looks out his window he is troubled. The farm is a mess! Henry is worried that nobody will be able to find anything in this mess. So he draws a map showing all the animals exactly where they belong. And Henry

Cover unavailable

79

The Penguin Atlas of Ancient History

Colin McEvedy, John Woodcock

4.1

Traces the migrations and evolution of the races as well as the development of civilizations from prehistoric times to the fourth century A.D.

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80

Denis Wood: Everything Sings: Maps for a Narrative Atlas

Ira Glass, Denis Wood

4.0

With artful wit and rigor, the cartographer Denis Wood has written numerous books (including the influential bestseller The Power of Maps) that reorient his readers not only to our neighborhoods, homes and bodies, but also to our own very human instinct to understand where we live by mapmaking. At the heart of Wood's investigations is a near-legendary endeavor: the Boylan Heights maps, begun in 19

81

History of the World Map by Map (DK History Map by Map)

DK

4.0

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82

The Discworld Mapp: Being the Onlie True and Mostlie Accurate Mappe of the Fantastyk and Magical Dyscworlde

Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs

4.0

They said it couldn't be done. Well, it has been done, proving them wrong once again. After years of research, cunningly contrived in as many minutes, the Discworld has its map. It takes full account of the historic and much documented expeditions of the Discworld's fêted (or at least fated) explorers: General Sir Roderick Purdeigh, Lars Larsnephew, Llamedos Jones, Lady Alice Venturi, Ponce da Qui

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83

Map Art Lab: 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel

Jill K. Berry, Linden McNeilly

4.0

Travel through the exciting world of cartography with Map Art Lab. This fun and creative book features 52 map-related activities set into weekly exercises, beginning with legends and lines, moving through types and styles, and then creating personalized maps that allow you to journey to new worlds. Authors Jill K. Berry and Linden McNeilly guide readers through useful concepts while exploring colo

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84

The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin, Elio M. García Jr, Linda Antonsson

4.0

If the past is prologue, then George R. R. Martin’s masterwork—the most inventive and entertaining fantasy saga of our time—warrants one hell of an introduction. At long last, it has arrived with The World of Ice and Fire.

This lavishly illustrated volume is a comprehensive history of the Seven Kingdoms, providing vividly constructed accounts of the epic battles, bitter rivalries, and daring rebell

Cover unavailable

85

London A-Z

Geographer's A-z Map Co.

4.0

A top-selling guide. London cabbies train for years to navigate the city's meandering streets and mews. London A-Z is their bible. This highly detailed city atlas is found in every car in the country. It shows all the streets, lanes and courtyards, as well as train stations, gardens, parks, museums, rivers and points of interest. In total, over 40,000 thoroughfares are indexed, and the all-color m

86

The Revenge Of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate

Robert D. Kaplan

4.0

In this provocative, startling book, Robert D. Kaplan, the bestselling author of Monsoon and Balkan Ghosts, offers a revelatory new prism through which to view global upheavals and to understand what lies ahead for continents and countries around the world.

In The Revenge of Geography, Kaplan builds on the insights, discoveries, and theories of great geographers and geopolitical thinkers of the ne

Recommended by Ben Shapiro.

Ben Shapiro

It's very good. … There are actual physical geographies on the ground making it difficult for us to control certain areas of the globe. [source]

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87

From Here to There: A Curious Collection from the Hand Drawn Map Association

Kris Harzinski

4.0

It's a situation we are all acquainted with: planning to visit friends in an unfamiliar part of the city, you draw yourself arudimentary map with detailed directions. In March 2008, graphic designer Kris Harzinski founded the Hand Drawn Map Association in order to collect just such drawings of the everyday. Fascinated by these accidental records of a moment in time, he soon amassed a wide variety

88

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland

Jim DeFede

4.0

Cover unavailable

89

The Maps of Tolkien's Middle-earth

Brian Sibley, John Howe, J.R.R. Tolkien

4.0

Best-selling Tolkien expert Brian Sibley (The Lord of the Rings: The Making of the Movie Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide) presents a slipcased collection of four full-color, large-format maps of Tolkien's imaginary realm illustrated by John Howe, a conceptual designer for the blockbuster films directed by Peter Jackson. The set includes a hardcover book describing in detail

Cover unavailable

90

An Atlas of Countries That Don't Exist: A Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States

Nick Middleton

4.0

Acclaimed travel writer and Oxford geography don Nick Middleton takes us on a magical tour of countries that, lacking diplomatic recognition or UN membership, inhabit a world of shifting borders, visionary leaders and forgotten peoples.

Most of us think we know what a country is, but in truth the concept is rather slippery. From Catalonia to the Crimea, and from Africa's last colony to the European

Cover unavailable

91

Unruly Places: Lost Spaces, Secret Cities, and Other Inscrutable Geographies

Alastair Bonnett

4.0

A tour of the world’s hidden geographies—from disappearing islands to forbidden deserts—and a stunning testament to how mysterious the world remains todayAt a time when Google Maps Street View can take you on a virtual tour of Yosemite’s remotest trails and cell phones double as navigational systems, it’s hard to imagine there’s any uncharted ground left on the planet. In Unruly Places, Alastair B

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92

The Book of Legendary Lands

Umberto Eco

4.0

A fascinating illustrated tour of the fabled places in literature and folklore that have awed, troubled, and eluded us through the ages. From the epic poets of antiquity to contemporary writers of science fiction, from the authors of the Holy Scriptures to modern raconteurs of fairy tales, writers and storytellers through the ages have invented imaginary and mythical lands, projecting onto them al

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93

A Tourist Guide to Lancre

Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs, Paul Kidby

4.0

Not only an artistic and breathtaking view of Lancre but also an interesting and informative guide to one of the Discworld's more, er, picturesque kingdoms.

Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick live there. Lancre could hardly be somwhere ordinary, could it?

Magic glues the Discworld together and a lot of it ends up in Lancre, principal Kingdom of the Ramtop Mountains. Between Uberwald and

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94

Lost States: True Stories of Texlahoma, Transylvania, and Other States That Never Made It

Michael J. Trinklein

4.0

Everyone knows the fifty nifty united states—but what about the hundreds of other statehood proposals that never came to pass? Lost States is a tribute to such great unrealized dreams as West Florida, Texlahoma, Montezuma, Rough and Ready, and Yazoo. Some of these states came remarkably close to joining the Union. Others never had a chance. Many are still trying. Consider:

• Frontier legend Daniel

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95

Plotted: A Literary Atlas

Daniel Harmon, Andrew DeGraff

4.0

This incredibly wide-ranging collection of maps - all inspired by literary classics - offers readers a new way of looking at their favorite fictional worlds. Andrew DeGraff's stunningly detailed artwork takes readers deep into the landscapes from The Odyssey, Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice, Invisible Man, A Wrinkle in Time, Watership Down,A Christmas Carol, and more. Sure to reignite a love for old f

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96

Paper Towns

John Green

4.0

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now be

Cover unavailable

97

Camilla, Cartographer

Julie Dillemuth PhD, Laura Wood

4.0

Camilla loves maps. Old ones, new ones, she loves them all! She often imagines what it must have been like to explore and discover a new path for the first time. One morning, Camilla wakes up to a huge snow storm. Her neighbor Parsley can't find the path to the creek. But Camilla has her old map--which inspires her to make her own path and her own map! Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers cel

98

The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds

John Muir Laws

4.0

This is more than a guide to drawing birds it is also an introduction to the lives, forms, and postures of the birds themselves.An imaginative field instruction book for really seeing and drawing birds by the bestselling author of the innovative field guides on the Sierra and San Francisco Bay.

99

Rand McNally 2027 Road Atlas

Rand McNally

4.0

Rand McNally 2027 Road AtlasThe only atlas that is updated annually! If having the most up to date and accurate maps developed by the #1 map company are important to you, then Rand McNally is your only choice. We have a 150+ year history of providing not just road and route guidance, but detailed information about states, points of interest, historic sites, and much more. Plus, this updated editio

100

The World Atlas of Coffee: From Beans to Brewing -- Coffees Explored, Explained and Enjoyed

James Hoffmann

4.0

The bestselling reference updated and expanded with seven new coffee-growing countries.

Praise for the first edition:
"Fills a gap in the popular reference literature. Recommended."
-- Booklist

"The definitive guide.... Well-written, informative, and a must-have for general readers who want to know more about their favorite morning brew."
-- Publishers Weekly

"Educational, thought-provoking, and subs