Display maps have had a significant impact throughout history, yet since extremely few have survived this has not always been fully appreciated. These often magnificent maps, expressing an enormous variety of differing world views, used size and beauty to convey messages of status and power. This book takes the best surviving examples to re-establish manuscript, painted and mural maps as a major cultural medium particularly in early modern Europe by illustrating the settings in which they were displayed and discussing the background and purpose of individual examples. Sourced from one of the greatest map collections in the world, many of these visual delights will be completely new even to experts.

Author Biography

Peter Barber is Head of Map Collections at the British Library and author of many books including The Map Book (2005). Tom Harper is curator of Antiquarian Mapping at the British Library.