Map Addict

Author: Mike Parker
By Collins
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Editorial Review
Product Description
'My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said!'

Customer Reviews

View from Coventry with Seagulls, 2010-08-31
I can't remember how I chanced on this book but thought it was right up my street (pun intended). I am not a map perv but I do like looking at them to the extent that in 1984 I actually 'phoned the OS to tell them they had a mistake on their North Norfolk map where the two bits around Blakeney Point met (on different sheets) - perhaps it was genetic as both my mother and her brother worked for the OS before and after WW2.

The introduction annoyed me with overuse of the word 'rapt'. It was only in there twice but stuck out like a trig point because it's not too common a word. Also throughout the book there are many instances of 'I was sat' 'we were sat' - are all editors and proof readers illiterate these days? The B+W photos within the text are a bit rubbish too.I wasn't particularly keen on his open confession of stealing maps, I think I would have kept that quiet or have been a bit more subtle about it (not sure how though).

Anyway minor gripes apart the first part of the book is great, particularly the chapter about the OS (Parker describes Southampton, home of the OS, as Coventry with Seagulls, which having lived there for over 70% of my life a) made me laugh and b) I thought it was a generous comment to the dump it has become), the French meridian etc - this was what I thought the book was about, great stuff.

However, somewhat ironically, I think Parker loses his map for the latter half or so of the book as it becomes a book about things that might be found on maps rather than the maps themselves, then descends into slagging off guide books, and going on trains around Europe.

He also displays the dichotomy of the 'celeb' which reminded me of Bill Oddie. On one hand here he is with perhaps quite an enviable job of writing and broadcasting yet he gets annoyed when someone spots who he is in a pub and buttonholes him to talk about mining. If you don't want to be recognised then don't do that sort of job!!

I wasn't sure what mentioning his own sexuality added to the book, and this too becomes more and more frequent as the end looms, including the bizarre bit about how one's sexuality determines how good you are at reading maps! I thought the comment at the end of this chapter which says 'Women, I think appreciate maps just as much as men Many are just as good as reading them as we are' was somewhat patronising, although I think there is a little bit of theme of that within the book - I am a map addict and you are not, therefore you are inferior - some of the writing is quite vicious in parts, though also sometimes amusing and entertaining.

I am glad I read this book, overall I enjoyed it and it had some very useful information in it. However I think it could have been better if it had stopped well before the end.

girl who also adores maps, 2010-06-25
having been caught up in the recent BBC 4 series about maps and seen the map exhibit at the British Library, you could say that this work complements the current fashionable trend for interest in maps. This book is funny, informative and adopts an unashamedly personal orientation to the world of maps and mapping. There are humorous asides that may offend some, but may also have others sniggering aloud (no spoilers here). The themes incorporated include aspects of history, social psychology and modern culture in a way that integrates the ideas coherently and yet never loses its focus on geography, landscapes and the inherent wonder of the map. This book is for you if you have ever looked at any visual representation of any aspect of the world with any sense of wonder and wondered why.

If you like maps, you'll like this, 2010-06-18
Being someone who can quite easily pore over a map the way others become absorbed in a good book, this was a nice reminder that I'm far from being alone in that respect. Mr Parker has written a witty and interesting account of his obsession with maps and mapping in general. However, this book isn't just for 'map bores' alone, there is many an interesting fact to found for those who just like to dip into the type of book that has one exclaiming "Well, I didn't know that". A nice little read.

Rambling, of the written kind, 2010-06-08
I love maps, so I was delighted when my wife bought me this book. I was looking forward to the promised witty narrative about... er... maps (anecdotes, the OS, that kind of thing.)

True - there are some nuggets of interesting information in there, but the bulk of this book, for me, doesn't do what it says on the tin. Someone else said it was a light read - I found it tedious, and I'm still wondering where the witty bits are.

Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance, 2010-08-08
This is a great tale of someone who is fascinated by maps of all kinds. Chronologically,the author travels down a tangent within the tale, telling exciting stories of how each discovery carried on his passion for mapping.

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Map Addict