Maps: their untold stories

Drawn from seven centuries of maps of places around the globe
held in The National Archives, Maps: their untold stories offers
a fascinating and unusual journey through the world of maps.


Hear from the authors as they explain who made these maps, why
they were made and what they tell us about the politics of the
time. Mapmakers range from a native American and a Maori priest
to Captain Cook and George Washington. Subject matter includes
London before the Great Fire, a map of Czechoslovakia that Hitler
gave to Neville Chamberlain, beautifully hand-drawn estate maps,
battle plans from the First World War and earlier conflicts, and
perhaps the earliest depiction of Santa Claus on a map. After the
talk the authors will be signing copies of their book at our
onsite bookshop.


Rose Mitchell and Andrew Janes are specialist map archivists at
The National Archives and have many years of experience in
advising the public on maps and related records. They have
written and spoken about a broad range of map-related topics
based on the rich holdings at The National Archives, from the use
of maps in sixteenth century law courts to the Second World bomb
census survey.