ATLAS OF ATLASES (HB)

A lavishly illustrated look at the most important atlases in history and the cartographers who made them. Pored over by rulers, explorers and colonisers, these books were used to build empires, wage wars, encourage diplomacy and nurture trade. Key cartographic works covered include: the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, produced in 1570 by the Dutch geographer Abraham Ortelius; the 17th-century Klencke, so large it requires 6 people to carry it; the Rand McNally Atlas of 1881, still in print today and a book that turned its makers into cartographic royalty.