Secret Maps: How They Conceal and Reveal the World

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– by Tom Harper, Nick Dykes and Magdalena Peszko.

For those people who love maps, Secret Maps is the most interesting collection. It is unique in that it claims the 150 rare maps show surprising ways maps have been used to withhold spatial information. It also claims to ask questions about “privacy, confidentiality and state secrets.”

Many fascinating replicas are shown. A 16th-century Spanish map, a military intelligence map kept under lock and key, a 17th-century map of Virginia by a female whose “Cartographic role has been overlooked and even erased.” There are also flight tracking maps of the wealthy, privately owned jets.

The focus of the following chapters is the association of maps and secrecy. The headings are,

Medieval and early modern secrecy and maps, Secrets of Empire, Secrets of the State, Secrets in Society and Privacy. Such fascinating details emerge from each chapter. For example, one of the reasons behind the Dutch Republic’s 17th-century expansions was expert maritime knowledge.

In 1682, the Blaeu family produced sophisticated and accurate maps, and navigational information was collected by ships and used to produce charts and sailing directions. Under the heading, “Fortification plans, spies and leaks, 1682-1747”, we see a series of maps that outline where forts were in France. These were consulted when intelligence gathering was seen as a prelude to war.

Cartographic falsification shows us a map of a Russian city, Magnitogorsk, which was published in Moscow in 1981. A US satellite shows a different view of the city and many details that have been altered. This is a marvellous and intriguing work, which a reader could pore over for hours. Such unusual topics, so beautifully presented, these maps will hold interest. Ranging from ancient to modern and secret to Google, this collection will have something for everyone.

Reviewed By Grasshopper2