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TITLE: Library's Map Treasures are Highlighted in "Cartographia"
SPEAKER: Vincent Virga
EVENT DATE: 10/23/2007
RUNNING TIME: 45 minutes
DESCRIPTION:
Maps are a visual record of human endeavor, each with a tale to tell. In their various forms, maps are models of time, diaries of political maneuverings and works of art that provide a unique vision of how the world evolved. Vincent Virga and co-author Ron Grim discussed "Cartographia" as part of the Library's Books & Beyond author series sponsored by the Center for the Book.
Comprising more than 250 maps, "Cartographia" celebrates the work of those who have charted the world from the dawn of civilization to the present. Among the rare gems included in the book are the 1507 Waldseemuller world map, the first to include the designation "America"; Orelius's "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum" of 1570, considered to be the first modern atlas; rare maps from Africa, Asia and Oceania that challenge traditional Western perspectives; William Faulkner's hand-drawn 1936 map of the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Miss.; and a map of the human genome.
Speaker Biography: Vincent Virga is the author of "Eyes of the Nation: A Visual History of the United States," which was a main selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and the History Book Club.
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SERIES: Books & Beyond