maphead charting the wide weird world of geography wonks

If you’re an inveterate map lover yourself-or even if you’re among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarket-let Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads. Jennings also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been.įrom the “Here be dragons” parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening analysis. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the “unreal estate” charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. Ken Jennings takes readers on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth.

If you're an inveterate map lover yourself-or even if you're among the cartographically clueless who can get lost in a supermarket-let Ken Jennings be your guide to the strange world of mapheads.Record-setting Jeopardy! champion and New York Times bestselling author of Planet Funny Ken Jennings explores the world of maps and map obsessives, “a literary gem” (The Atlantic). He also considers the ways in which cartography has shaped our history, suggesting that the impulse to make and read maps is as relevant today as it has ever been.įrom the 'Here be dragons' parchment maps of the Age of Discovery to the spinning globes of grade school to the postmodern revolution of digital maps and GPS, Maphead is filled with intriguing details, engaging anecdotes, and enlightening analysis. Each chapter delves into a different aspect of map culture: highpointing, geocaching, road atlas rallying, even the 'unreal estate' charted on the maps of fiction and fantasy. Jennings takes listeners on a world tour of geogeeks from the London Map Fair to the bowels of the Library of Congress, from the prepubescent geniuses at the National Geographic Bee to the computer programmers at Google Earth. Jennings writes remarkably well, infusing his engrossing subject with a surprising amount of both wit and humor.

Maphead recounts his lifelong love affair with geography and explores why maps have always been so fascinating to him and to fellow enthusiasts everywhere. Maphead : charting the wide, weird world of geography wonks Author: Ken Jennings Summary: It comes as no surprise that, as a kid, Jeopardy legend Ken Jennings slept with a bulky Hammond world atlas by his pillow every night. Ken Jennings's Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks is an intriguing (dare I say, captivating) look into the realm of maps, geography, and cartophiles. It comes as no surprise that, as a kid, Jeopardy! legend Ken Jennings slept with a bulky Hammond world atlas by his pillow every night.

Maphead charting the wide weird world of geography wonks