Social Life of Maps in America, 1750-1860

In the age of MapQuest and GPS, we take cartographic literacy for granted. We should not; the ability to find meaning in maps is the fruit of a long process of exposure and instruction. A “carto-coded” America — a nation in which maps are pervasive and meaningful — had to be created. The Social Life of Maps tracks American cartography’s spectacular rise to its unprecedented cultural influence.

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