A review by brannigan
A History of the World in Twelve Maps by Jerry Brotton
3.0
I'm really not sure what to make of this book - I've just finished it and I feel like I have information overload. On the one hand, it's certainly informative, there's facts abundle. On the other though, Brotton seems to have largely failed to write a history of the world in 12 maps, instead writing something more like 'a history of maps in 12 maps'. I shall explain.
Good points: I adore the 'history of the world in x things' format, ever since I fell in love with the BBC radio 4 series (and accompanying book) 'a history of the world in 100 objects'. Artefacts undoubtedly bring history to life, and Brotton offers access to some very old, fascinating and little-known maps. I'm also very interested in philosophies of physical space, and this book further shatters the little-challenged assumption of spacial objectivity. One of the main themes of the book is that our world, including its physical aspects, has always been perceptual. It was therefore interesting to see how depictions of the world vary immensely according to the intentions of the map-maker and his/her contemporary society. The organisation of the twelve chapters into concepts such as science faith, money, nation, empire, geopolitics etc. was therefore a genius move.
It all sounds like a five-star setup, were it not for Brotton's irritating habit of losing focus on wider contextual history and instead providing a very detailed, very boring history of individual mapmakers and developments in cartographical techniques. I'm not saying these aspects should not be present in such a work; I just wish they had not taken centre stage. A hundred pages of this book could have easily been shaved, but instead Brotton produces page after page of the Cassini family's relationship with the French monarchy, multiple Greek attempts to calculate the circumference of the earth, and (inexplicably) the evolution of the microchip. I found my eyes glazing over more than once, and several pages were skimmed.
I also have to point out a possible careless error - Brotton describes Jasper Conrad as an "enthusiastic supporter" of British imperialism. I may be wrong, but I'd put Conrad at the top of my list of anti-colonialist all stars.
Overall though, this book was enjoyed, even in part because of Brotton's scatter-shot approach, throwing tidbits of info here and there. There are some anecdotal gems, such as how Magellan only had a go at circumnavigating the globe because maps of the time severely underestimated the length of the journey. I also agreed with Brotton's evaluation of the Peters Projection, and his defence of Mercator. Read it and see. Three thumbs up.
Good points: I adore the 'history of the world in x things' format, ever since I fell in love with the BBC radio 4 series (and accompanying book) 'a history of the world in 100 objects'. Artefacts undoubtedly bring history to life, and Brotton offers access to some very old, fascinating and little-known maps. I'm also very interested in philosophies of physical space, and this book further shatters the little-challenged assumption of spacial objectivity. One of the main themes of the book is that our world, including its physical aspects, has always been perceptual. It was therefore interesting to see how depictions of the world vary immensely according to the intentions of the map-maker and his/her contemporary society. The organisation of the twelve chapters into concepts such as science faith, money, nation, empire, geopolitics etc. was therefore a genius move.
It all sounds like a five-star setup, were it not for Brotton's irritating habit of losing focus on wider contextual history and instead providing a very detailed, very boring history of individual mapmakers and developments in cartographical techniques. I'm not saying these aspects should not be present in such a work; I just wish they had not taken centre stage. A hundred pages of this book could have easily been shaved, but instead Brotton produces page after page of the Cassini family's relationship with the French monarchy, multiple Greek attempts to calculate the circumference of the earth, and (inexplicably) the evolution of the microchip. I found my eyes glazing over more than once, and several pages were skimmed.
I also have to point out a possible careless error - Brotton describes Jasper Conrad as an "enthusiastic supporter" of British imperialism. I may be wrong, but I'd put Conrad at the top of my list of anti-colonialist all stars.
Overall though, this book was enjoyed, even in part because of Brotton's scatter-shot approach, throwing tidbits of info here and there. There are some anecdotal gems, such as how Magellan only had a go at circumnavigating the globe because maps of the time severely underestimated the length of the journey. I also agreed with Brotton's evaluation of the Peters Projection, and his defence of Mercator. Read it and see. Three thumbs up.