While literally hundreds of books exist on the subject of "cartographic" maps, The Art of Illustrated Maps is the first book EVER to fully explore the world of conceptual, "imaginative" mapping. Author John Roman refers to illustrated maps as "the creative nonfiction of cartography," and his book reveals how and why the human mind instinctively recognizes and accepts the artistic license evoked by this unique art form. Drawing from numerous references, The Art of Illustrated Maps traces the 2000-year history of a specialized branch of illustration that historians claim to be "the oldest variety of primitive art." This book features the dynamic works of many professional map artists from around the world and documents the creative process as well as the inspirations behind contemporary, 21st-century illustrated maps.

The Art of MapIllustration combines practical instruction with inspirational art and photographs to both enliven and educate aspiring map artists.

The maps in this book were submitted to They Draw & Travel as entries in a 2019 contest called Mapping Special Places. This contest, sponsored by Stroly Inc., challenged artists around the world to create a map of a place that is very special to them. While over 300 maps were submitted to this contest, 100 of them appear in this book. They represent a global sample of the various special places chosen by 100 different artists. Some chose to illustrate their home town, while others picked a favorite vacation spot. Some maps tell a story, others provide fun itineraries, a few share insightful histories, and they all beautifully celebrate a place that is indeed very special.

This lavishly illustrated history of the golden age of cartography, from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries, explores not only the embellishments on maps but also what they reveal about the world in which they were created. Here there be monsters real and imagined; ships actual and archetypical; newly discovered flora such as corn and tobacco; fauna ranging from buffalo to unicorns; godlike beings and fantasy-like depictions of native peoples. The stunningly rendered images illuminate an entire world.

"This book is a selection of different ways to interpret a map at the illustrative level. Several artists have created maps of the world ́s most beautiful places and also of its main cities: Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro... They are illustrations full of color in which, each artist shows us his or her own way of working with them, with lines, geometrical shapes, some very detailed, very synthesized, using computers, watercolors or simply a pen... Illustrations by Studio Muti, Marcus Oakley, Katie Vernon, Jackkrit Anantakul, Olaf Hajek who are only some of the artists collaborating in this great work." --Publisher's description.

The How To Draw series takes a highly visual and practical approach to drawing, featuring step-by-step instructions for each art project. This comprehensive drawing handbook covers all aspects of drawing a wide variety of different illustrated maps, from fantasy landscapes to modern metropolises, including essential concepts such as scale and composition.

With wonderful examples and easy-to-follow instructions, this beautifully illustrated how-to book makes it simple and fun to create one-of-a-kind hand-drawn maps. Helpful templates, grids, and guidelines complement a detailed breakdown of essential cartographic elements and profiles of talented international map artists. From city maps and family trees to treasure maps, palmistry charts, platformgame maps, and more, the wide range of projects collected here will satisfy first-time cartographers as well as veteran mapmakers inspired by the popular map art trend.