This lecture shares the remarkable story of an overlooked map archive that reveals how maps have helped inspire some of the greatest scientific discoveries, but also led to terrible atrocities.
At the heart of University College London, nestled in the centre of Bloomsbury, lies a long-forgotten map library packed with thousands of maps and atlases. After Professor James Cheshire stumbled upon it, he spent three years sifting through hundreds of dusty drawers to see what was there. He was stunned to uncover some of the most significant maps and atlases from the last two centuries – many of which had not seen the light of day for decades.
In this talk you will discover maps created and owned by the founders of the RGS-IBG, atlases for the masses that expanded nineteenth-century horizons; charts that trace the icy peaks of the Himalayas and the deepest depths of the ocean; and pioneering maps produced to settle borders in central Europe or the wealth of those in inner-city London.
This Monday Night Lecture will be illustrated throughout and brimming with astonishing discoveries from James’ book The Library of Lost Maps, which reveals why cartography really matters and how map-making has helped transform our understanding of the world around us.
[Free for RGS Fellows and Members + one guest. Book now to attend.]