The Mapmakers

A history of cartography tracing the adventures, discoveries & feats of technical ingenuity by which humans have mapped the earth's surface & interior, ocean floors, the moon & planets.Preface1. Prologue at Dana Butte The map ideaThe librarian who measured earthFirst principles of Ptolemy The topography of myth & dogma1492 Mercator squares the circle2. Yaki Point The matter of a degree The family that mapped FranceJohn Harrison's timepiece Surveyors of sea & shore Soldiers, pundits & the India surveyMapping America: the boundary makers Mapping America: westward the topographers meters, meridians & a new world map 3. Bright Angel Point The winged mappers Radar over the AmazonDeep horizons A continent beneath the ice Mountains of the sea Transcontinental precisionMaps for the new geography4. The flight outMapping from spaceExtraterrestrial mapping: the moonExtraterrestrial mapping: MarsBibliographical NotesAcknowledgmentsIndex