“The British Library holds more than 150 million items in its collection. British Library Publishing actively publish from the Library’s collection to bring forgotten stories and original non-fiction to new audiences.
We publish thought-provoking books to showcase unexpected treasures from our collections, including maps, manuscripts, great works of literature and rare books.
We are also home to the much-loved bestselling British Library Crime Classics series.”
I did not know the BL publish some of the books they hold and assume only stuff that’s out of copyright. There is an amazingly large selection of Crime Classics published towards the end of the 19th century and in the first half of the of the 20th century. Mesmerised by the choice I picked three anthologies of crime stories based in London (Capital Crimes), on railways and “locked room” mysteries. Some will be undiscovered gems and some not out of the top drawer I expect.
But that’s not why I went to the BL. They have an exhibition of Secret Maps, on until 18th January next year. The BL explains:
“Step into the shadows at Secret Maps, a major new exhibition revealing the stories hidden in some of history’s most mysterious maps.
Maps have always been more than just tools for navigation – in the hand of governments, groups and individuals, maps create and control knowledge. In Secret Maps, we trace the levels of power, coercion and secrecy that lie behind maps from the 14th century to the present day, and uncover the invisible forces that draw and distort the world around us.
Some of the maps on display reveal hidden landscapes, offering insight into places long forgotten or erased from official histories. Others are purposefully deceptive, designed to protect treasures, mask strategic locations, or reshape the way we see the world. This exhibition uncovers each of their individual secrets, revealing their hidden purposes and power.
Discover the maps you were never meant to see.”
The stars of the show are old, colour illustrated maps made for Important People. What they lack in accuracy and detail, and that’s a lot, they make up for in beauty.
Jean Rotz was a French cartographer in the 16th century. “He possibly went to Sumatra in 1529, and he definitely went to Brazil in 1539. His work was greatly influenced by these early French explorations, which induced him to create highly decorative maps.
Failing to find employment with King Francois I, Rotz went to England in 1542 and entered the service of Henry VIII. He presented Henry with his manuscript atlas, the Boke of Idrography, which contained a two-hemisphere world map and a map of Europe” (Wikipedia). The latter had me confused until I looked at it upside down when it all fell into place. Looking at a map with south at the top completely threw me.
And here is the same map upside down.
This is a map of Scotland in 1457 made for Henry VI by an Englishman, John Hardyng, who spent three years as a spy in Scotland. It is a beautiful piece of art.
The 20th century maps often are OS maps with strategic military locations obscured or dodgy border demarcations but I found them less interesting.