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4 - History of Cartography and Map Dealers

History of Cartography

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No need to repeat all of Tony Campbell's hard work, so here are just the basic pointers.

The Gateway to the Subject - maintained by Tony Campbell. Includes books to get you into the subject.

Free and open, but moderated, listserv to promote discussion about any topic in the field of map history. Launched in January 2014 by the International Society for the History of the Map (ISHM). See also these web pages. It is the continuation of the MapHist listserv (1994-2012) and the short-lived MapHist Forum.

The International Journal for the History of Cartography.

Ashley Baynton-Williams' on antique maps. Originally available online and also, for a period, as a printed magazine.

Map dealers (modern)

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There are comprehensive guides produced by Anne Taylor at Cambridge University Library for dealers of maps in Britain and Overseas.

(MS Word document)

(MS Word document)

(MS Word document) Useful for areas where mapping by the national mapping agency is unavailable. More information about Soviet military maps can be found here.

(MS Word document)


See also the the Ordnance Survey page on this website.

International mapping

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A selection of links to large international dealers (inclusion in this list does not imply approval by the British Cartographic Society):

How to find out what maps are available

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  • World mapping today, R.B. Parry, C.R. Perkins. 2nd ed. London: Bowker-Saur, 2000. ISBN 1857390350

  • Inventory of world topographic mapping, compiled by Rolf Böhme. 3 vols. London: Published on behalf of the International Cartographic Association by Elsevier Applied Science, 1989-1993

  • Internationales Landkartenhaus (ILH)printed loose-leaf catalogue, GeoKatalog 2 (although new sheets are no longer printed, updates can be obtained from ILH)

  • On-line catalogues of some of the suppliers such as some of those listed above

  • On-line map sellers such as those listed above

  • Publishers' catalogues and web sites (use, for example, IMIA)

  • Library accessions lists (such as those produced by the Bodleian Library)

  • Journal reviews, etc.

These pages were compiled by: April Carlucci (British Library Map Library); Tinho da Cruz (Department of Geography, University of Liverpool); Anne Taylor (Cambridge University Library). They are maintained by the Map Curators' Group of the BCS. Colleagues are requested to help keep this information current by e-mailing suggestions for inclusion, and details of links that don't work.

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