Mapmatics
05 June 2025Synopsis
A gripping exploration of how cartography shapes our world and the impact of maps on our everyday lives.
How does a delivery driver distribute hundreds of packages in a single day?
Why can maps help to win elections?
Where should we look for serial killers?
The answers lie in the crucial connection between maps and maths.
In Mapmatics, mathematician Dr Paulina Rowinska embarks on a fascinating journey to discover the mathematical foundations of cartography and cartographical influences on mathematics.
From a sixteenth-century map that remains an indispensable navigation tool on our phones, to public transport maps that both guide and mislead passengers, she reveals how maps and maths shape not only our sense of space and time but also our worldview.
In entertaining stories, surprising real-world examples, maps, illustrations and a cast of unforgettable characters, Mapmatics helps us to appreciate the mathematical methods and ideas behind maps. And, by illuminating how our world works, leaves us better equipped to look after it.
‘If you have ever wondered why an airliner bound from London to Los Angeles flies over Greenland, how we know what lies inside the Earth, or how computers correct errors, then this is for you’ – John Gribbin, author of Six Impossible Things
'This book blew my mind, again and again' – Roma Agrawal, author of Built
'Entertaining, illuminating . . . An engaging look at a fascinating subject' – New Scientist
'An expansive journey through time and place' – The Observer
Details
05 June 2025
9781035007066Reviews
A wonderfully readable adventure through the mathematic poetry of mapping. Dr Rowinska has created something really special, a book that celebrates the science and ideas behind the cartographic art with tales of everything fascinating, from criminal geography to ancient earthquake detectors. An essential guide that illuminates how much of our understanding of the world, the past, and indeed the people around us, is shaped by the mathematician and the mapmaker.Edward Brooke-Hitching, author of The Phantom Atlas
Opens our eyes to the use of 'mapmaking' in the broadest sense . . . If you have ever wondered why an airliner bound from London to Los Angeles flies over Greenland, how we know what lies inside the Earth, or how computers correct errors, then this is for you. I learned a lot.John Gribbin, author of Six Impossible Things
A highly readable account of how mathematics and mapmaking have joined forces to inform not only our view of the world, but our view of ourselves. The historical insights and human stories bring the whole topic vividly to life.Ian Stewart, author of What's the Use?
This book blew my mind, again and again. Rowinska covers an astonishing range of topics from our brain to our planet, with personal stories and maths, yes, but also scrutinising the social and political impacts of maps on our lives.Roma Agrawal, author of Built
