The History of Cartography, Volume 2, Book 1: Cartography in the Traditional Islamic and South Asian Societies (The History of Cartography)

The first book of volume 2 of the monumental __History of Cartography__ focuses on mapping in non-Western cultures, an area of study traditionally overlooked by Western scholars. Extensive original research makes this the foremost source for defining, describing, and analyzing this vast and unexplored theater of cartographic history. Book 1 offers a critical synthesis of maps, mapmaking, and mapmakers in the Islamic world and South Asia. "[The six-volume set] is certain to be the standard reference for all subsequent scholarship. The editors . . . have assembled and analyzed a vast collection of knowledge. . . . If the first volume is an indication, the complete set will be comprehensive and judicious." —John Noble Wilford, __New York Times Book Review__ "As well as enlarging the mind and lifting the spirits through the sheer magnitude of its endeavor, the collection delights the senses. The illustrations are exquisite: browsing fingers will instinctively alight on the sheaf of maps reproduced on stock slightly thicker than that of the text. The maps are so beguiling in the tantalizing glimpses they offer of other, seemingly incomprehensible, worlds, that the sight of them will stir the connoisseur in even the most-guarded scholar." —Ronald Rees, __Geographical Review__ "The corpus it brings to light, along with the extensive references, bibliography, and exhaustive appendices containing valuable comments about many of the pieces discussed, together make this book an important resource for the scholar."—Robert Provin, __Professional Geographer__ __"This volume is a landmark of new research and will certainly contribute to further discoveries, translations, interpretations, inventories, more precise dating and the construction of stemmata." —Christian Jacob, Cartographica__ __"In seeking to characterize the cartography of premodern Islamic and south Asian societies, the editors offer the image of an archipelago of cartographically conscious islands in a silent sea. The research potential which they have revealed is clearly vast and underappreciated, with many islands still to be discovered or enlarged. This important book, does more, therefore, than plug a huge gap in cartographic historiography. It provides the foundation for crosscultural cartographic research in two major world regions."-Jeffrey Stone, Ecumene__

The first book of volume 2 of the monumental History of Cartography focuses on mapping in non-Western cultures, an area of study traditionally overlooked by Western scholars. Extensive original research makes this the foremost source for defining, describing, and analyzing this vast and unexplored theater of cartographic history. Book 1 offers a critical synthesis of maps, mapmaking, and mapmakers in the Islamic world and South Asia.

"[The six-volume set] is certain to be the standard reference for all subsequent scholarship. The editors . . . have assembled and analyzed a vast collection of knowledge. . . . If the first volume is an indication, the complete set will be comprehensive and judicious." —John Noble Wilford, New York Times Book Review

"As well as enlarging the mind and lifting the spirits through the sheer magnitude of its endeavor, the collection delights the senses. The illustrations are exquisite: browsing fingers will instinctively alight on the sheaf of maps reproduced on stock slightly thicker than that of the text. The maps are so beguiling in the tantalizing glimpses they offer of other, seemingly incomprehensible, worlds, that the sight of them will stir the connoisseur in even the most-guarded scholar." —Ronald Rees, Geographical Review

"The corpus it brings to light, along with the extensive references, bibliography, and exhaustive appendices containing valuable comments about many of the pieces discussed, together make this book an important resource for the scholar."—Robert Provin, Professional Geographer

"This volume is a landmark of new research and will certainly contributeto further discoveries, translations, interpretations, inventories, more precise dating and the construction of stemmata." —Christian Jacob, Cartographica

"In seeking to characterize the cartography of premodern Islamic and south Asian societies, the editors offer the image of an archipelago of cartographically conscious islands in a silent sea. The research potential which they have revealed is clearly vast and underappreciated, with many islands still to be discovered or enlarged. This important book, does more, therefore, than plug a huge gap in cartographic historiography. It provides the foundation for crosscultural cartographic research in two major world regions."-Jeffrey Stone, Ecumene

Booknews

Volume one, Cartography in prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Europe and the Mediterranean was published in 1987. Volume two focuses on mapping in non-Western cultures, an area of study historically overlooked by Western scholars. Book one offers a critical synthesis of maps, mapping, and mapmakers in the Islamic world and South Asia, richly illustrated with 40 color plates and innumerable b&w figures. Production is first-rate throughout. Book two will cover East and Southeast Asia. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

"The maps in this book provide an evocative picture of how indigenous peoples view and represent their worlds. They illuminate not only questions of material culture but also the cognitive systems and social motivations that underpin them" (from the introduction).Although they are often rendered in forms unfamiliar to Western eyes, maps have existed in most cultures. In this latest book of the acclaimed History of Cartography, contributors from a broad variety of disciplines collaborate to describe and address the significance of traditional cartographies.Whether painted on rock walls in South Africa, chanted in a Melanesian ritual, or fashioned from palm fronds and shells in the, Marshall Islands, all indigenous maps share a crucial role in representing and codifying the spatial knowledge of their various cultures. Some also serve as repositories of a group's sacred or historical traditions, while others are exquisite art objects.The indigenous maps discussed in this book offer a rich resource for disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, art history, ethnology, geography, history, psychology, and sociology. Copious illustrations and carefully researched bibliographies enhance the scholarly value of this definitive reference. Contents......Page 7 Preface......Page 19 1 · Introduction to Islamic Maps......Page 25 2 • Celestial Mapping......Page 33 3 · Cosmographical Diagrams......Page 92 4 • The Beginnings of a Cartographic Tradition......Page 111 5 · The BalkhI School of Geographers......Page 129 6 · Later Cartographic Developments......Page 158 7 • Cartography of al-SharIf al-IdrIsI......Page 177 8 · Geodesy......Page 196 9 • Qibla Charts, Qibla Maps, and Related Instruments......Page 210 10 · Introduction to Ottoman Cartography......Page 227 11 · Military, Administrative, and Scholarly Mapsand Plans......Page 230 12 · Itineraries and Town Views in Ottoman Histories......Page 249 13 · The Role of Charts in Islamic Navigationin the Indian Ocean......Page 277 14 · Islamic Charting in the Mediterranean......Page 284 15 · Introduction to South Asian Cartography......Page 315 16 · Cosmographical Mapping......Page 351 17 · Geographical Mapping......Page 407 18 · Nautical Maps......Page 513 19 · Conclusion......Page 523 20 · Concluding Remarks......Page 529 Editors, Authors......Page 539 Bibliographical Index......Page 540 General Index......Page 564 List of Illustrations......Page 11 Illustrations......Page 598 When the University of Chicago Press launched the landmark History of Cartography series nearly thirty years ago, founding editors J. B. Harley and David Woodward hoped to create a new basis for map history. They did not, however, anticipate the larger renaissance in map studies that the series would inspire. But as the renown of the series and the comprehensiveness and acuity of the present volume demonstrate, the history of cartography has proven to be unexpectedly fertile ground.--Amazon.com v. 1. Cartography in prehistoric, ancient, and medieval Europe and the Mediterranean v. 2, bk. 1. Cartography in the traditional Islamic and South Asian societies v. 2, bk. 2. Cartography in the traditional East and Southeast Asian societies