Atlas of Imagined Places from Lilliput to Gotham City

by Brown, Matt; Davies, Rhys B.

• ISBN13: 9781849946414
• ISBN10: 1849946418
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2021-09-28
• Publisher: Batsford

Summary

WINNER, Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2022: Illustrated Travel Book of the Year. HIGHLY COMMENDED, British Cartographic Society Awards 2022.

From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps.

The maps feature fictional buildings, towns, cities and countries plus mountains and rivers, oceans and seas. Ever wondered where the Bates Motel was based? Or Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life? The authors have taken years to research the likely geography of thousands of popular culture locations that have become almost real to us. Sometimes these are easy to work out, but other times a bit of detective work is needed and the authors have been those detectives. By looking at the maps, you'll find that the revolution at Animal Farm happened next to Winnie the Pooh's home.

Each location has an an extended index entry plus coordinates so you can find it on the maps. Illuminating essays accompanying the maps give a great insight into the stories behind the imaginary places, from Harry Potter's wizardry to Stone Age Bedrock in the Flintstones.

A stunning map collection of invented geography and topography drawn from the world’s imagination. Fascinating and beautiful, this is an essential book for any popular culture fan and map enthusiast.

Author Biography

Matt Brown holds degrees in Chemistry (BSc) and Biomolecular Science (MRes). He has served as a scientific editor and writer at both Reed Elsevier and Nature Publishing Group, and has contributed to several previous science books, including Defining Moments in Science (2008, Cassell) and 1001 Inventions That Changed the World (2009, Cassell). He served as the Royal Institution’s quizmaster for several years, and has also put on science quizzes for the Royal Society, Manchester Science Museum, STEMPRA and the Hunterian Museum. He recently gave a lecture about Michael Faraday while rotating around the London Eye. With comedian Helen Keen, he co-hosted a series of successful ‘Spacetacular!’ science-themed stage shows, culminating in a sell-out 2013 show at Leicester Square Theatre. Matt is also the author of London Day and Night (2015, Batsford), as well as forthcoming books Everything You Know About London is Wrong and Everything You Know About England is Wrong (also from Batsford). He also serves as Editor-at-Large of Londonist.com.