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No comments about A twist on the trade: trade in your paper for ATCs made with clay.: An article from: Expression.

No comments about THE CONNOISSEUR'S HANDBOOK OF ANTIQUE COLLECTING: A DICTIONARY OF FURNITURE, SILVER, CERAMICS, GLASS, FINE ART, ETC..

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5 comments about The Island of Lost Maps: A True Story of Cartographic Crime.

1. Explores a whole different world....that of the rare map collector and those who become a bit too much obsessed with possessing them.
   
   I found it a delightful read with lots of good detail about a little-known but fascinating world.



2. This is an interesting tale of a writer getting lost. The author embarked on a mission to find the story of a thief who stole valuable maps from right under the noses of unprepared rare book collections. While he was well on the journey, he found his subject to be uncooperative and not particularly interesting. Nonetheless, the writing flows, and the book gives a brief but interesting look into cartographic history, the antique map-dealing subculture, and the gentle madness of map collectors. The book does seem a bit stretched, and it is more the story of the author's quest to write the book than the nature of cartographic crime, but I liked the diversions, and the writer does an excellent job of making a foriegn topic accessible. The book is both engaging and meandering, and doesn't go where you think it is going.



3. Look at the distribution of ratings reviewers are giving this book: as many readers give it five stars as one. Or two, or three, or four. This tells me everyone's take is different. Reading the reviews, I get the impression everyone's expectations were different when they picked the book up.
   
   I gave it five stars. The book is not only exquisitely written, it met my expectations. Here's why: I'm a professional cartographer. I know that in order to tell the story of an infamous map thief you have to tell the story of map collecting. And map history. And, yes, map production. You have to provide contexts, otherwise you're just relating the tale of a weirdo who slices dusty pieces of paper out of dusty old books.
   
   Miles Harvey told his tale exceptionally well. His writing style is superb. His contexts are appropriate; he didn't wander around aimlessly, as some reviewers claim, instead he provided the necessary background for readers to make sense of the map thefts, of the bizarre world of antique map trading that made those thefts lucrative. To accomplish what he did in 350 pages (minus notes and index) is a remarkable achievement. I couldn't put the book down.



4. Like many reviewers here, I had a hard time finishing this book yet this was a book I wanted to love. The story isn't a thriller - it's about a man who steals rare maps from rare books - but it doesn't have to be boring. What makes this a very dull book indeed is the fact that it IS a book. Harvey is clearly fascinated by his subject and good for him. This leads him to pack in details where broad strokes would be better and, worse in my opinion, he inserts himself into the story. (Sometimes hilariously, as when Harvey marvels that some map dealers didn't want to talk to him. He just can't believe anyone wouldn't want to talk to him.) He's so busy telling the reader what the story means to him that he never bothers to make the story mean something to the reader.
   
   Miles Harvey hauls out every single pad-out-the-story tactic. Discursive stories about the libraries that map-thief Bland pillaged? Okay, it's a little related. Tangential tales of people who pioneered map making? Getting farther afield. Imagined thoughts of great explorers? What's that doing here? Strange attempt to draw parallels between John Charles Fremont and Bland? Did Harvey's editor quit halfway through the book too?
   
   I was hanging on by a thread until Harvey trotted out the Fremont business. That was bad enough but then he insisted on referring to Fremont as "the Pathfinder" instead of by name, which is simply annoying.
   
   In fairness, Harvey did have a tremendous obstacle: he was writing a book about a man he never met, never spoke to, didn't have access to any of the man's private papers and couldn't get an interview with any of the man's close friends or family members. He's reduced to door-stepping Bland's neighbors one of whom wisely suggests that Harvey give it a rest. Bland remands, well, bland and unknowable. But given his fascination with maps, Harvey should have known better than to try to sell a map with a giant hole in the middle.



5. Maps are precious. Their extraordinary power is only equalled by the lengths to which humans will go to in obtaining them.
   
   In this book, Mr Harvey gives an interesting informative overview of the history of mapmaking, an insight into the world of map storage and trading, and attempts to chart the shadowy exploits of Gilbert Bland, map thief.
   
   The journey through the book is fascinating, especially those aspects that deal with the making of maps, and their role in history, discovery and politics. Ultimately, we don't get any real sense of Gilbert Bland's motivation. He remains in largely uncharted territory. Perhaps some things are beyond mapping.
   
   Jennifer Cameron-Smith

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