1
of
1
On The Map
Why the world looks the way it does
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 4,428 ratings, 570 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still
learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Summary
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3400
$3699
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
On The Map
$3400
$3699
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Latest News
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (6th October)
With some huge new novels for Fiction, some incredible memoirs and cookbooks, plus some new...
Review: Threshing Day
Our Book Hero Ambassador @NZBookTokGirl is back with her latest read, and this time itβs...
Story to Screen - 7/10/2026
The Story to Screen Report is back! Sacha has rounded up the latest news from...
Why Two-Player Games Deserve a Spot on Your Shelf
You donβt need a whole group for a great game night! Amelia shares some of...
10 months in: My top 10 romantasy reads of the year so far!
Weβre 10 months into the year, and Iβve already read some incredible romantasy books! From...
See moreFrom Mappa Mundi to Google Maps - the bestselling Just My Type author turns his gaze to maps.
From Mappa Mundi to Google Maps - the bestselling Just My Type author turns his gaze to maps. Packed with accompanying map illustrations and images.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Maps fascinate us. They chart our understanding of the world and they log our progress, but above all they tell our stories. From the early sketches of philosophers and explorers through to Google Maps and beyond, Simon Garfield examines how maps both relate and realign our history.
With a historical sweep ranging from Ptolemy to Twitter, Garfield explores the legendary, impassable (and non-existent) mountains of Kong, the role of cartography in combatting cholera, the 17th-century Dutch craze for Atlases, the Norse discovery of America, how a Venetian monk mapped the world from his cell, and the Muppets' knack for instant map travel. Along the way are pocket maps of dragons, Mars, murders, and more.
From the bestselling and widely-adored author of Just My Type, On The Map is a witty and irrepressible examination of where we've been, how we got there, and where we're going.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
On the Map by Simon Garfield is praised for its engaging exploration of map history. Reviews highlight Garfield's ability to infuse his narrative with enthusiasm and charm, making complex topics accessible and enjoyable. The book is described as both informative and entertaining, with Garfield's well-researched stories offering fascinating insights into the beauty and utility of maps. His captivating style and love of the subject shine throughout, providing a delightful reading experience.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781846685101
Publisher: Profile Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 05 September 2013
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Profile Books Ltd
Edition: Main
Illustration: 60 ills
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 36.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 196.0mm
Weight: 360g
Pages: 464
About the Author
Simon Garfield is the author of more than a dozen acclaimed books of non-fiction, including the international bestseller, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, and a trilogy of edited diaries from the Mass Observation Archive, which includes the bestselling Our Hidden Lives. He lives in London and St Ives, with old maps lining the walls.
Also by Simon Garfield
View all-
Just My Type
Just My Type is not just a font book, but a book of stories. About how Helvetica and Comic Sans took over the world. About why Barack Obama opted for Gotham, while Amy Winehouse found her soul in 30s Art Deco. About the great originators of type, from Baskerville to Zapf, or people like Neville Brody who threw out the...Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Comic Sans
Comic Sans is one of the most used and most reviled typefaces of the digital age. How was it made? How could it spawn a movement to ban it and yet still be so widely promoted by educators? What does its accidental creator make of its contentious and singular history? This quirky and unique book considers how the computer transformed...Hardback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Timekeepers
Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana. The Beatles learn to be brilliant in an hour and a half. An Englishman arrives back from Calcutta but refuses to adjust his watch. Beethoven has his symphonic wishes ignored. A US Senator begins a speech that will last for 25 hours. The horrors of war are frozen at...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Mauve
1856. Eighteen-year-old chemistry student William Perkin's experiment has gone horribly wrong. But the deep brown sludge his botched project has produced has an unexpected power: the power to dye everything it touches a brilliant purple. Perkin has discovered mauve, the world's first synthetic dye, bridging a gap between pure chemistry and industry which will change the world forever. From the...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderThe Pen
'A paean to the pen - glorious and golden . . . At last, a book celebrating my most precious possession. I am so glad to better understand its history, and I shall appreciate my pen even more every time I pick it up' EMMA THOMPSON The pen is our oldest tangible connection between an individual mind and the world...Hardback$4500Unit price /UnavailableOut 3 Nov 2026Pre-order -
Albertus
One of the most beautiful handcrafted typefaces in the world, Albertus is also one of the most enduring. The face of thousands of book jackets, and the chosen look for David Bowie, Coldplay, Star Wars and London street signs, Albertus is as warmly enticing on film posters as it is on memorial plaques. The story of the font is one...Hardback$3999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Baskerville
The classic elegant English typeface, still widely used as a book text more than 250 years since its creation. Baskerville is a transitional design, poised between the first metal types and modern styles, notable for its combination of fat and thin strokes. When it was first used, there was genuine concern that it would damage readers' eyes. John Baskerville was...HardbackSold Out
More from Philosophy & Psychology
View all-
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a transformative guide that demonstrates how tiny, incremental changes in behaviour can fundamentally reshape your life. Rather than urging sweeping transformations, Clear advocates for the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions. Whether itβs performing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes earlier, or making a brief, focused phone call, these minuscule adjustments,...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Winner's Formula
The Neuroscience of Peak Performance, Success, and Happiness Why do some people win all the time? Why do others languish? From Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, addicts to billionaires, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman has spent decades working to help people understand how to succeed. In The Winner's Formula, Kerry explains what goes on in your brain when you are...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Strangers
The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" β Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseMauritau
A journal to find balance with the 12 states of Mauri. Mauri is the pulse of wellbeing - the spark that makes you uniquely you. In Mauritau, clinical psychologist Jessica Gerbic introduces the 12 states of Mauri and shows how intentional awareness can guide your sense of balance across mind, body, spirit, environment and whΔnau. From Mauri Oho, a sudden...Hardback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Aroha
Aroha by Dr Hinemoa Elder is an enlightening exploration of timeless Maori wisdom, intricately woven into a contemporary context. This top-selling non-fiction title from New Zealand in 2021 introduces readers to 52 traditional Maori proverbs, known as whakataukΔ«, each offering a profound lesson for every week of the year. Dr Elder, a respected Maori psychiatrist, delves into these powerful sayings...Hardback$2400Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New Release
Better Never Stops
The Art and Science of Continuous Improvement From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand's toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Eat Your Ice Cream
The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. βEssential reading for anyone who...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Lessons on Living
Bestselling author Nigel Latta's simple psychological toolkit for life's ups and downs. Over thirty years working as a clinical psychologist, Nigel Latta assembled a personal toolkit based on three simple principles. These principles helped him to be more resilient, joyful, and attuned to what matters most. The same principles have helped him through some difficult times as well, such as...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...Paperback$2400Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Inside the Box
How to do more with less and use limits to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Range. We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be and how to spend our time....Paperback$3000Elsewhere:$3900Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Tell Me Where It Hurts
Leading expert Rachel Zoffness bridges the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of treating pain We can move the dial on pain Every one of us will experience pain, be it back pain, the pain of childbirth, or living in an ageing body. Not a single one of us will escape. But what if everything you...Hardback$6500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Creative Act
Many famed music producers are known for a particular sound that has its day and then ages out. Rick Rubin is known for something else: creating a space where artists of all different genres and traditions can home in on who they really are and what they really offer. He has made a practice of helping people transcend their self-imposed...Hardback$4400Elsewhere:$5500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
