Secret Maps
How they Conceal and Reveal the World
$47.99
- Hardcover
256 pages
- Release Date
31 January 2026
Summary
Secrets and maps are a match made in heaven. A Second World War military plan of a cave system covered with red stamps, a tatty hand-drawn treasure map marked with an ‘X’, or even your personal phone screen showing a precise ‘blue dot’ location. These maps contain confidential, coded, precious or private locational information and have, as a result, been hidden away or even falsified to preserve the advantage of ownership.
This beautifully illustrated and deeply original book tells th…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780712355643 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0712355642 |
| Author: | Tom Harper, Nick Dykes, Magdalena Peszko |
| Publisher: | British Library Publishing |
| Imprint: | British Library Publishing |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 256 |
| Release Date: | 31 January 2026 |
| Weight: | 1.70kg |
| Dimensions: | 37mm x 232mm x 304mm |
Critics Review
“Every map conceals and simultaneously reveals knowledge. The brilliance of Secret Maps is to show how this paradox lies at the heart of not just mapping, but humanity’s obsession with making and decoding secrets at the level of states, empires, societies and even individuals. Extraordinary in its range and depth, from Henry VIII’s coastal maps to Treasure Islands, the Western Front and the Cold War, this beguiling survey of secret maps charts new directions in map history”.
Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps and Four Points of the Compass.
Tom Harper
Tom Harper is Lead Curator in the British Library’s Map Department. In this volume he works alongside his fellow Curators Nick Dykes and Magdalena Peszko. All three are curating the Library’s forthcoming Secret Maps exhibition.
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