The twentieth century was a golden age of mapmaking, an era of
cartographic boom. Maps proliferated and permeated almost every aspect
of daily life, not only chronicling geography and history but also
charting and conveying myriad political and social agendas. Here Tim
Bryars and Tom Harper select one hundred maps from the millions printed,
drawn, or otherwise constructed during the twentieth century and recount
through them a narrative of the century's key events and developments.
As Bryars and Harper reveal, maps make ideal narrators, and the maps in
this book tell the story of the 1900s--which saw two world wars, the
Great Depression, the Swinging Sixties, the Cold War, feminism, leisure,
and the Internet. Several of the maps have already gained recognition
for their historical significance--for example, Harry Beck's iconic
London Underground map--but the majority of maps on these pages have
rarely, if ever, been seen in print since they first appeared. There are
maps that were printed on handkerchiefs and on the endpapers of books;
maps that were used in advertising or propaganda; maps that were
strictly official and those that were entirely commercial; maps that
were printed by the thousand, and highly specialist maps issued in
editions of just a few dozen; maps that were envisaged as permanent
keepsakes of major events, and maps that were relevant for a matter of
hours or days.
As much a pleasure to view as it is to read, A History of the Twentieth
Century in 100 Maps celebrates the visual variety of twentieth century
maps and the hilarious, shocking, or poignant narratives of the
individuals and institutions caught up in their production and use.
