Ancient GPS

Sometimes I think that maps are pretty much the coolest thing ever. Even nowadays, when everything is 'accurate', satellite-photographed, machine-recorded and printed off by the bundle, it's fun to go onto Google Earth or Google Maps and find an aerial (or street-view!) shot of your house.

Anyway, back in the day (whenever that was), maps were highly politicized and highly priced works of art. There's a tiny map store in London run by this fascinating man who could tell you all about it...I don't know nearly so much, but I do know that I'm as intrigued by the scripted and illustrated names of roads and towns and taverns as I am by the changing coastlines, monsters, and mythical islands.

Here's a copy of a map from 1675 showing the road from London to Lands End. As you can see, it's set up like our modern-day navigation devices, with the road always in front of you, and the landmarks off to the side.

Right. Lots more of that here.

So yes I could go on about maps for ages, about how they reflect not so much what is, but rather what might be, or what ought to be. But I don't want to bore you. If I haven't convinced you yet, or if maps just aren't your thing...check out Vesalius' De Humani Corporis Fabrica - same idea, but the body instead of the globe. Beautiful and a little bit repulsive, I think.