Art and Cartography, a collection of six essays by humanists, scientists and a museum curator, should be of interest to a wide audience. The essays are not meant to be comprehensive or even closely coordinated, but rather to stimulate thought. They dispel the stereotype that art only serves an ornamental role and thus is not needed on modern maps that rely on precise scientific data. Maps are seen as composites of graphic elements that reveal the cultural context of their origin. As styles and techniques in art have evolved, parallel developments in cartography have followed.
The book's editor, geographer David Woodward, introduces the essays and provides a well-written theoretical framework that unites these essays. The first three deal with the history of cartography and the philosophical aspects. Samuel Edgerton's essay explores the "mental matrix" of cartographic thinking as evidenced in the graphic manifestation—a map. He claims that all humans possess ...
