How did the art of making maps develop into an exact science? Why are maps and charts so important in modern living and in a space age? How was the earth first measured? This book was written to answer these and many other questions about the world we live in and how it was put on the map. They are questions which have been asked for years by people with lively curiosity, yet their answers have either not existed or have been hard to find. Now the whole story is told by a man who probably knows as much about maps and map making as anyone in America.

The reader will find that the story of maps and of the people who made them includes some art, some history, some religion, some politics, and a great deal of science. And the reader will also find that the search for the right answers is still going on, that scientists are still learning new things about the earth, about its size and shape, and how to give us more accurate and useful knowledge of it.

The fine prints and most of the drawings used in this book have been taken, slightly enlarged, from the author's earlier, comprehensive study, The Story of Maps. The jacket and five new drawings are by Aldren A. Watson.

From the dust jacket