Map Addict

Author: Mike Parker
By Collins
Average Customer Rating:

List Price: ~~£12.99~~
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Customer Reviews

Paid for the holiday ... and missed other maps varieties out, 2009-11-20
Mike has put together a lot of interesting information on the esteemed organisation that is The Ordnance Survey. That was an enjoyable read as were some of his younger days.

While unclear if you should write about stealing maps, you did get left with the feeling that Mike went around Europe having a good time, but failed to talk about the map-habits of the locals or what maps they produce. Where was discussion on map makers of Eastern or Southern Europe?

Mike also missed out the effects of other maps produced. For example, the aviation maps used today are pure works of art. Look at a 1:500,000 map for the UK and it's a highly compressed view of the UK's airspace - in glorious Technicolor.

So while a good start, you're left feeling there were opportunities lost. If you want to know more about travelling around Europe, buy something from Lonely Planet or similar.

Laugh-out-loud for me, at least!, 2009-12-29
Humour is obviously quite a personal thing, judging by the range of comments here. This book is a light read, not a detailed reference book or history (although it does contain a useful Bibliography and list of websites for further reading, and a reasonable index).

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Map Addict and learning many little bits of interesting trivia (interesting in the QI sense!). I particularly enjoyed the description of the "discussions" between the Americans, English and French at the International Meridian Conference in Washington where the Prime Meridian was defined in 1884.

The book is an easy read, and has lots of variation in the content, making it difficult to put down: I just wanted to see what was coming next.

Great present for a map addict!, 2010-01-02
I bought this product for my Mum's xmas present and she absolutely loved it! As soon as she opened it on xmas day she began to read and did not surface for several hours. It seems that the book has a great balance of humour and fact and is delivered in a mature yet approachable manner. However i would say that you have to have a genuine interest in learning about the origins and issues of ordinance survey maps, or it might fall upon deaf ears... As i said this book is great for the map addict!

Are we there yet?, 2010-01-08
This book is nicely written and starts off quite brightly. The author's reminiscences of map-stealing are amusing and create empathy for his narrative. I could easily picture myself pulling off a map heist at 8 years old.
What I found a little harder to visualise was myself viewing unusual mapping features in the company of a boyfriend ! And it's not just me being homophobic....if it's the feature which is under discussion, why mention anyone at all, be it wife, girlfriend, etc.
From that point on, the book seems more about going places with said boyfriend than anything of cartographic interest. For example, a whole chapter is devoted to rude placenames on the OS, whilst the Mercator / Peter's Projection argument is dismissed in just 3 pages. (If that means nothing to you, then you shouldn't read this book anyway).
I would have welcomed greater detail on this and other mapping alternatives. The whole book is more about "where I went with my OS Landranger" than any analytical discussion of cartography, although the section on map history is quite interesting.

Map Crazy, 2009-10-25
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Parker is an entertaining and illuminating guide to the history of mapping and I didn't mind the personal aspects of the book - like him I have strayed from the path high in the hills, although I didn't suffer such an extreme reaction! However, it is a pity that the illustrations are in black and white. Part of the charm of a map is its colouring and the picture of the Mappa Mundi in particular looks like a muddy splodge here.

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Map Addict