Prstem po mapě - Proč svět vypadá tak, jak vypadá – Garfield Simon (2017)

On a map, we usually look for the place where we are or the way to where we want to be. However, one can also step directly into the map and experience endless adventures within it. Journeying with a finger on the map often represents our very first independent travels and also the most beautiful pilgrimages, as these are expeditions of imagination, during which we do not have to confront our fantastic ideas with reality. Yet, with a finger on the map, we can go much further than to the most distant corners of the world: it can lead us deep into the depths of our soul. Simon Garfield invites us to such expeditions in his book. He follows the trails of prehistoric hunters who drew a few lines in the dust of the paths, and from them, he transitions to modern travelers with satellite navigation in their pockets; he observes the desperate efforts of Victorian doctors who tried to stop the spread of cholera with the help of maps, as well as the methodical approach of contemporary neuroscientists mapping the depths of the human brain. He speaks of the poetics and technical pitfalls of globe-making, as well as the political contexts of various cartographic projections. Maps, which have accompanied humanity since the very beginning, are for him not only a practical tool but also a message about how we perceive the world and our place in it. Garfield on his journey...