London : a life in maps /

Published to coincide with a recent exhibition at the British Library, this book surveys the mapping of London from the late middle ages to the present. Whitfield, author of other books on cartography and exploration, uses maps to chart London's growth, from the twin centers of "the City" and Westminster, to the fashionable residential neighborhoods of the West End and the expanding Thames-side docks. He offers valuable glimpses into the evolution of parks, amusement sites, and cemeteries while expressing appreciation for the ability of maps to chart the city's economic disparities and the transformations wrought by the railways and, later, the WW II blitz. There is a good overview of city-wide and neighborhood maps, along with numerous panoramas and building plans, but the cartographic focus occasionally gets lost because of Whitfield's decision to also retell London's history. Although copiously illustrated, too many of the book's intriguing and often beautiful maps appear with obscured details or sketchy captions, while undue attention is afforded to stock images of urban society or familiar buildings like St. Paul's and the British Museum. Short bibliography; barely adequate index. An introduction to a fascinating subject. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels. W. S. Rodner Tidewater Community College

Whitfield, the author of several books on maps, including Cities of the World, has produced a fascinating history of London organized around some 100 of the countless maps, panoramas, and plans created of the city over the last 500 years, going back to the earliest extant map. Arranged chronologically, each map or plan serves as the accompaniment to a chapter that in fact covers more than the map in question. Thus, an unused 1666 plan for postfire reconstruction by Christopher Wren highlights a chapter on "The London That Wren Never Saw," while an essay entitled "Mapping Poverty and Wealth" is illustrated with a colorful map section detailing the economic status of the inhabitants of Victorian London. London's lost rivers, scandalous pleasure gardens, and memorable architecture are featured in other chapters. Whitfield serves up an enjoyable mix of facts, both familiar and obscure, handsomely supported with contemporary illustrations in addition to the maps. As with any book reproducing graphics in a reduced size, some detail is lost, but anyone with an interest in the history of London or of maps generally will find much to enjoy. Recommended highly for public and academic libraries.-Linda M. Kaufmann, Massachusetts Coll. of Liberal Arts Lib., North Adams (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.