The Writers Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands

The maps they love, the maps they use, the maps that set them dreaming: this is a spellbinding compendium of writers' thoughts on the wild landscapes of their imagination.

Maps have the power to transport us, filled as they are with wonder and possibility. Here a team of internationally acclaimed writers and illustrators share their personal insights, encompassing not only the maps that appear in their books, but also the maps that have inspired them and the sketches they create in writing.

Philip Pullman recounts a map he drew for an early novel; Robert Macfarlane reflects on his cartophilia, set off by Treasure Island; Joanne Harris tells of her fascination with Norse maps of the universe; Daniel Reeve describes working on The Hobbit films; Miraphora Mina recalls creating ‘The Marauder’s Map’ for Harry Potter. And there’s much more besides.

Amidst a cornucopia of beautiful images, including unpublished sketches by authors, there are maps of the world as envisaged in medieval times, maps from classics of literature and cherished stories, as well as maps of adventure, sci-fi and fantasy, from Atlantis to Westeros, Narnia and Utopia, from Mercator to Tolkien – a great range of genres and makers.

An enchanting visual and verbal journey, The Writer’s Map will be irresistible for lovers of maps, and also for anyone who likes to get lost in a good book.

Review

'Beautifully produced ... A reminder that a map is far more than a means of plotting a route. Like a book, it can transport you. It can work magic' - Daily Telegraph Travel, Book of the Year

'Fascinating' - Financial Times, Books of the Year

'Absolutely gorgeous' - Independent

About the Author

Dr Huw Lewis-Jones is a historian of exploration with a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He was formerly Curator at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, and the National Maritime Museum, London. His books include The Conquest of Everest (winner of the History Award at the Banff Mountain Festival), The Crossing of Antarctica and Across the Arctic Ocean. He is the author, with Kari Herbert, of the bestseller Explorers’ Sketchbooks.