The Island of Lost Maps - Miles Harvey
(Be forewarned, as my first post I am still working out my writing style and you will most likely not find this post as offensive as they may become at a later date…)
If you’re not that interested in the history of maps, geography, cartography and crimes associated with these things then I wouldn’t recommend this book and would suggest you go sulk in the corner until I’m done, otherwise, pick it up. Miles Harvey delves into a world that many of us probably didn’t know or imagine existed: the theft of rare or antique maps. Seriously, if you were going to steal something would it be… a map? Well, for a few of us I suppose the answer would be yes (especially that rad one sitting in your boss’ office even though it’s most likely a fake). The criminal the book explores is Gilbert Bland. In more ways than one this guy Bland is just that and the same goes for the book at points. Despite being a conman, a thief, and committing forgery Bland is not exactly someone you could write a whole book on. Thus the book focuses on other aspects which got my juices going and even encouraged me to find a new career (you try putting two and two together, see what you get).
That said, the interesting and historical information within the pages outweigh Bland’s bland life. Mills delves into, in a superficial manner, the history of some of the worlds most important atlases and their creators and how many of them came to be where they currently are. His insight into the rare book rooms at libraries is interesting and it would appear as though his book and research into Bland has helped to make some of our most precious books and maps safer yet less accessible to the map lovers of the world. If you had any plans to take a razor blade to some antiquarian atlas and stealthily remove precious maps, I’d think twice.
