Maps and Civilization, Cartography in Culture and Society by Norman J. W. Thrower (review)

Abstract

Maps and Civilization, Cartography in Culture and Society Norman J. W. Thrower Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996 Reviewed by C harles W. B ooth Eastern Washington University A cadem ic cartographers have long suffered the derision of some of their colleagues as “tool men.” This book should help dispel some of these notions as Professor Thrower obviously illustrates a more ex­ pansive knowledge of the history, development, context, art, and science of cartography than some mere cartographic mechanic. The task for this book as expressed by the author is virtually impossible to fulfill. The title doesn’t help, as it would seem to lead any author to be constantly fending off the explanations of map “de­ tails” in favor of the larger picture, so to speak. Yet, as they say, the devil is in the details. Instructional opportunities that would have led to an easier comprehension of map complexities often were fore­ gone— unnecessarily, I believe. It wouldn’t be obvious to the general reader, for example, that a rhumb line, even while defined properly, is such a nice thing to have on a navigational map and that a particu­ 182 BOOTH: Review of Maps and Civilization 183 lar choosing of the arrangement of a grid coordinate system would produce the desired result. The almost constant hewing to the line of the deductive expositional approach has detracted from the benefits of an inductive one for the casual reader, but how else would one choose to write about maps as cultural phenomena? When the focus and narrative are mainly historical, as in the dis­ cussion regarding Edmond Hailey, the result is interesting, engaging, and delightful. When the discussion turns to the modem era and the­ matic maps, however, we immediately are plunged into a dilemma. Unless one knows, for example, how dasymetric boundaries have been determined, calling it a less “objective” mapping technique than the choropleth technique is futile. Perhaps we should have had an explanation as to why the author thought this was so. The diagram (Figure 7.13) that was supposed to illustrate the principal methods of statistical mapping is woeful. It would have been more understand­ able if a small statistical set had been included and then shown how each method produced a mapping result. Occasionally, Professor Thrower is a bit unforgiving, as in his terming the symbol used for the China Sea on a Chinese atlas map “angry lines.” (Figure 3.4) There is a regularity to this symbol that suggests a land-based cartographer’s view of ocean waves—where does this “angry lines” assessment come from? A similar symbology appears on Figure 4.9, Idrisis World Map, without similar comment. Maps are a unique form of communication, and as Professor Thrower explains, they have no peer. This book adds to the discus­ sion of the reciprocity between maps and the progression of cultural development. ...