Venture to twenty-eight cities around the world in this colorfully illustrated collection of maps that take you on a journey through history, culture, and geography. On each page, you’ll visit a different city. And in each city, you’ll explore the metaphorical resonance between the physical metropolis and its inhabitants, history, and culture. In the hands of a creative cartographer, Manhattan is dissected in an anatomical diagram, the streets of Monaco trace the form of a Picasso nude, and the crisscrossing paths of boats on the Bosphorus become the nerves of Istanbul. Travel as you never have traveled before, and revel in the details that define urban life. By laying bare the bone, muscle, and sinew of twenty-eight cities, these maps reveal the unique spirit of each one and shed light on the strange and marvelous ways in which humans interact with the places they call home. Witty and insightful, this book will capture the imaginations of travelers, map enthusiasts, history buffs, and dreamers.

This is the first book to catalog comparative maps and tableaux that visualize the heights and lengths of the world's mountains and rivers. Produced predominantly in the nineteenth century, these beautifully rendered maps emerged out of the tide of exploration and scientific developments in measuring techniques. Beginning with the work of explorer Alexander von Humboldt, these historic drawings reveal a world of artistic and imaginative difference. Many of them give way—and with visible joy—to the power of fantasy in a mesmerizing array of realistic and imaginary forms. Most of the maps are from the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection at Stanford University.

A digitally enhanced version of this atlas was developed by the Digital Scholarship Lab at the University of Richmond and is available online. Click the link above to take a look.

The new National Geographic Benchmark Recreation Atlases are an ideal recreation resource complete with accurate, detailed topographic maps. They contain a wealth of robust travel information, including campground locations, state park maps, sports and activity destinations, museums, hunting and fishing information, historic sites and even climate details. Every feature is clearly labelled, field-checked and verified, and everything is organised for convenience and intuitive ease-of-use. The books feature a double laminated cover to prevent wear and tear. Scale : 1:200,000 Flat Size : 381 x 254 mm.