Product Details
Cartographica Extraordinaire: The Historical Map Transformed

Cartographica Extraordinaire: The Historical Map Transformed
By David Rumsey, Edith M Punt

List Price: CDN$ 79.95
Price: CDN$ 57.28 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $39. Details

Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.ca

15 new or used available from CDN$ 29.09

Average customer review:
(3 )

Product Description

Assembling some of the finest cartographic examples from private collection of renowned map collector David Rumsey, this atlas bridges the gap between historical cartography and exploration and the new technologies and applications of geographic information systems (GIS). More than a lavish collection of cartographic masterworks, this book tells two paralled stories. The first story lays out the relevant history, the human players, and the events that place each map in the context of the time in which it was created. The second thread, of particular interest to cartographers, designers, map lovers, and geographers, tells the stories of the maps themselves--how they were created and the lessons they can teach modern cartographers and other designers of information and visual communication.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #243364 in Books
  • Published on: 2004-03-01
  • Original language: English
  • Dimensions: 3.69 pounds
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 200 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
A high-quality album consisting of 120 historical maps, principally of North America, this work hints at the future of cartography, which is being revolutionized by a sophisticated mapping technology called geographic information systems (GIS). Several maps here, such as a depiction of the route of Lewis and Clark, exhibit how GIS can meld historic information with remote-sensing data. The authors' captions explain the technology underlying the images. The owner of a collection containing more than 100,000 cartographic artifacts, Rumsey is systematically digitizing his maps and posting them at http://www.davidrumsey.com. This is presumably for the benefit of GIS specialists, while this book will satisfy those who simply want to see a beautiful historical map. The viewer will encounter the maps of John Fremont, bird's-eye perspectives of cities, and the maps of the American West made by the U.S. Geological Survey in the late 1800s. Although it is costly, this work is sure to wow map fans. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap

“Cartographica Extraordinaire is extraordinary in many ways. Unlike many books on map history, this one shows us maps we have never seen before, in juxtapositions we have never imagined, with huge double-page spreads and details up close and personal that enable us to read every word and sometimes even the texture of the lines and the paper. Extraordinary also is the value of this book as a gateway into the Rumsey Web site—the chronological listing of all illustrations in the book is carefully referenced to the digital collection on the Internet where users can select their own details. This is a powerful teaching tool and will reestablish the importance of maps in studying our history.” David Woodward, The Arthur H. Robinson Professor of Geography Emeritus, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and editor, History of Cartography

“Cartographica Extraordinaire alluringly presents the highlights of a remarkable collection of historical maps. What makes this book stand out from other published map archives, though, is its reflection of the generosity, energy, and intellectual curiosity of David Rumsey. Not satisfied with merely amassing a hoard of handsome old maps, Rumsey, who has already shared his collection with us online, shows us in these breathtaking pages why old maps are so interesting. In the process of telling stories about maps, handsomely reproducing maps, enlarging map details, stitching maps together, and combining maps with the latest digital data, Rumsey and Punt expose us to the joyous disorder of cartophilia.” Allen Carroll, Chief Cartographer, National Geographic Society

“Rumsey has provided clear reproductions of a rich array of maps from his remarkable collection in a manner which allows the reader to actually use them; accompanying texts place the maps in historical sequence. The reader of the work will discover the relationship of maps, as historical documents, to the textual history with which we are familiar, and allow maps to assume their honored place among primary documents.” Dr. John R. Hébert, Chief, Geography and Map Division, Library of Congress

About the Author

Sally Woodbridge is a well-known writer, critic, and architectural historian based in Berkeley, California. She is author of, among other things, the landmark volume Bay Area Houses as well San Francisco Architecture, an illustrated guide to 1000 buildings. David Rumsey is president of Cartographic Associates, a digital publishing firm based in San Francisco. He created the award-winning website www.davidrumsey.com, which has thousands of images of historical maps from his private map collection, one of the largest in the United States.


Edith M. Punt is a cartographer who has worked on numerous government and private sector mapping projects. She lives in Redlands, California.