The Queens Atlas is a truly beautiful reminder that maps are the perfect synthesis of science and art, geography and history, politics, power and propaganda. This fascinating account of Christopher Saxtons life and work is also a time machine, whisking us back to the intrigues of the Tudor court, and its ravenous hunger for knowledge of the lie of its land. Saxtons maps changed the country for ever; with erudite clarity, David Fletcher tells us why, and shows us how.
Mike Parker, author of Map Addict and All the Wide Border Finally, a definitive account of Christopher Saxton, the founder of modern regional English mapmaking, and his extraordinary atlas. David Fletcher has produced a seamless marriage of words and images in helping us understand the origins and significance of this monumental act of Tudor mapmaking. A wonderful achievement.
Jerry Brotton, author of Four Points of the Compass: the Unexpected History of Direction and A History of the World in Twelve Maps.
'There are lots of other eye-catching images in what is to my mind a thrilling and lovely book, and Fletchers commentary is invaluable in helping you understand Saxtons work...' -- Mathew Lyons [ This] new book is hefty and lavish. It includes a history of Saxtons involvement and sets out the context around the birth of the scheme, the surveying methods and the legacy of the work. Pleasingly, it also reproduces vibrant
copies of each of the 35 maps in the atlas, most of which feature a single county. -- Ben Lerwill
