The dominant Mediterranean power in the fifth and sixth centuries, by the time of its demise at the hands of the Ottomans in 1453 the Byzantine empire was a shadow of its former self restricted essentially to the city of Constantinople, modern Istanbul. Surrounded by foes who posed a constant threat to its very existence, it survived because of its administration, army and the strength of its culture, of which Orthodox Christianity was a key element. This historical atlas charts key aspects of the political, social and economic history of a medieval empire which bridged the Christian and Islamic worlds from the late Roman period into the late Middle Ages.

The landscape of the Netherlands has been changing constantly since the end of the last ice age, some 11,700 years ago. Where we walk today was once a polar desert, a river delta or a shallow sea. The end of the last ice age marked the beginning of a new geological period - the Holocene, the relatively warm geological epoch in which we are still living today. The Atlas of the Holocene Netherlands contains special maps, supplemented by archaeological and historical information. These maps show the geographical situation for thirteen different points in time since the last ice age, based on tens of thousands of drill samples and the latest geological, soil and archaeological research. This magnificent atlas also paints a surprising picture of the position we humans have occupied in the landscape. It addresses such questions as: How did we take advantage of the opportunities offered by the landscape? And how did we mould the landscape to suit our own purposes? The Atlas of the Holocene Netherlands will change once and for all the way you look at the Dutch landscape.

From the Silk Road to the Great Game, Central Asia has long been a region of great strategic, political, and economic importance.Central Asia is of growing visibility to the rest of the world. Home of the legendary Silk Road and Great Game, the region is of increasing influence due to oil, Islam, democracy, and terrorism. No other comprehensive atlas exists.This atlas graphically illuminates the region's history tracing back to the eight-seventh century B.C. From the spread of Islam to the invasion of the Mongols, the area has been at the crossroads of some of the world's most important developments, all succinctly explained in this book.

The First World War continues to fascinate. Its profound effect on politics and society is still felt today. Yet it remains a greatly misunderstood conflict, shrouded in myths and misperceptions. In The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the First World War Philpott and Hughes, leading young historians of the conflict, draw on recent scholarship to present a clear introduction to the war. In fifty maps, accompanied by supporting text and statistical tables, they survey the main battles and political features of the war. This concise volume will give students and general readers important insights into the nature and effects of world war. MARKET 1: Undergraduate students studying courses on the History of the First World War; Military History; Political History of the Twentieth Century MARKET 2: General readers interested in military history; Specialist military and history societies; and book clubs

A century after the Industrial Revolution began, some Victorians finally began to confront the problems industrialisation and urbanisation had wrought. The remarkable proliferation of new factories, railways and docks owned by massively wealthy entrepreneurs created new depths of poverty and deprivation, which outraged philanthropist and researcher Charles Booth. These two maps, commissioned by Booth and the first of their kind, classify London streets into seven categories, from the very poor lowest class mainly in the east end (but with some surprising enclaves in the fashionable west) right up to the wealthy upper classes in Marylebone and Mayfair. A fascinating resource for genealogists, historians and all lovers of London's past.

The "Vinland Map" first surfaced on the antiquarian market in 1957 and the map's authenticity has been hotly debated ever since-in controversies ranging from the anomalous composition of the ink and the map's lack of provenance to a plethora of historical and cartographical riddles. Maps, Myths, and Men is the first work to address the full range of this debate. Focusing closely on what the map in fact shows, the book contains a critique of the 1965 work The Vinland Map and the Tartar Relation; scrutinizes the marketing strategies used in 1957; and covers many aspects of the map that demonstrate it is a modern fake, such as literary evidence and several scientific ink analyses performed between 1967 and 2002. The author explains a number of the riddles and provides evidence for both the identity of the mapmaker and the source of the parchment used, and she applies current knowledge of medieval Norse culture and exploration to counter widespread misinformation about Norse voyages to North America and about the Norse world picture.

The Palgrave Concise Atlas of World War II presents a wide range of chapters on the military campaigns, major political developments, frontier changes, international conferences and alliances of World War II, together with chapters on the home fronts in the major participating nations and in occupied Europe and Asia (the latter covering, for instance, resistance, population movements and genocide). Chapters covering the military campaigns also focus on recent discoveries, in particular the role of signals intelligence and code-breaking. The result is a comprehensive atlas covering all the major aspects of the war and presenting the military events in their full context.

The "Vinland Map" first surfaced on the antiquarian market in 1957 and the map's authenticity has been hotly debated ever since-in controversies ranging from the anomalous composition of the ink and the map's lack of provenance to a plethora of historical and cartographical riddles. Maps, Myths, and Men is the first work to address the full range of this debate. Focusing closely on what the map in fact shows, the book contains a critique of the 1965 work The Vinland Map and the Tartar Relation; scrutinizes the marketing strategies used in 1957; and covers many aspects of the map that demonstrate it is a modern fake, such as literary evidence and several scientific ink analyses performed between 1967 and 2002. The author explains a number of the riddles and provides evidence for both the identity of the mapmaker and the source of the parchment used, and she applies current knowledge of medieval Norse culture and exploration to counter widespread misinformation about Norse voyages to North America and about the Norse world picture.

England has been continuously mapped from Medieval times to the present; politically, administratively and functionally as well as creatively and imaginatively. Maps have helped to define ideas of what England is and could be. They have developed and maintained its identity amongst other nations and explored its essential character and limits. The maps included show a country at times confident but also unsure of itself. Often drawn for purely practical purposes they frequently and unconsciously reveal the true state of the nation, and the hopes and fears of its inhabitants. England has been the crucible for many of the most significant developments in cartography and Mapping England tells the story of how its position in the world has evolved and, in so doing, entails new ways of seeing and expressing such findings in graphic form.

The dramatic, tumultuous, often tragic human events that erupted in the Balkan Peninsula following the collapse of communism between 1989 and 1991 have captured the Western world's attention throughout the past decade. The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Balkans provides 50 two-color, full-page maps, each accompanied by a facing page of explanatory text. These maps illustrate key moments in Balkans history in a way that is immediate and comprehensible, making it come alive. Students will regard it as a useful reference, and general readers will enjoy it for its clarity and wealth of information.

Eastern European history is a difficult subject for Westerners to understand, partly because of the region's political, ethnic, and cultural diversity. The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe, revised and updated for this edition, addresses this need. In 52 two-color, full-page maps and facing page explanatory text, the atlas illustrates key moments in East European history, from the Middle Ages to the present. Students will regard it as a useful reference, and general readers will value it for its clarity and wealth of information.

A superbly illustrated guide to 64 maps from all around the world! From examples of medieval Mappa Mundi and the first atlas to Google Earth and maps of the moon, this captivating maps book is a must-have for all history and geography enthusiasts and explorers! Embark on a visual tour of the world's finest maps! This fascinating world atlas book: - Analyses each map visually, with the help of pull-outs and graphic close-up details - Traces the history of maps chronologically, providing a fascinating overview of cartography through the ages - Tells the story behind each map - why it was created, who it was for, and how it was achieved - Profiles key cartographers, explorers, and artists - Draws together navigation, propaganda, power, art, and politics through the world's greatest maps Maps are much more than just geographical data. They are an accurate reflection of the culture and context of different time frames in history. This remarkable geography book puts cartography on the map! It tells the stories behind great maps through stunning pull-out details and reveals how they have helped people make sense of the world. Embark on a global adventure of a lifetime with this world map book and see our planet like never before! On this mind-blowing journey, you'll encounter maps that show the way to heaven, depict lands with no sunshine and even the world ocean floor. With incredible secret stories from British historian, Jerry Brotton, and insight into how mapmakers have expressed their world views, Great Maps is a welcome addition to any armchair cartographer's bookshelf.

In this atlas the authors have brought together, in accessible form, a set of maps which portray a vivid picture of the physical environment of the British Isles. Each set of maps is accompanied by text that explains the nature and causes of the patterns that can be observed. The contents are broadly based, covering the geology, geomorphology, hydrology, climatolgoy, soils, biogeography, and seas of the British Isles and the human impact on each of these aspects. The maps are as uncomplicated as the subject matter allows and the text is designed to be accessible to a wide range of readers. The book was prepared to celebrate the centenary of the Geographical Assocation. From it emerges a remarkable picture of the physical landscape. Together with its companion volume, Britiain in the 1990s: A Social and Economic Atlas, it provides a comprehensive overview of the British Isles.

The first of two volumes, "Wildfire through Staffordshire" presents the very best from Osborne, Wild and Roscoe, who each published their own early "Railway Traveller's Guides" shortly after the opening of the country's first ground-breaking trunk line, the Grand Junction railway, on the 4th of July 1837. This publication is lavishly and uniquely supplemented with commissioned poems by Ian Henery as well as many antique views, vistas and rare maps from the period, and covers the first half of the journey from Birmingham to Liverpool or Manchester. The second volume continues as the Wildfire crosses the border of Staffordshire into Cheshire. The guides, published back in 1838, became must-haves for those who could take advantage of the ability to travel by rail over long distances. When the Grand Junction line opened, with the Wildfire engine making the inaugural run, the distance between Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool could be covered in a matter of hours rather than days, as before it opened when long distance travel was only then available to the privileged few. Railway travellers were keen to find out more about the land, the people and places that they could gaze out at from the safety of their railway carriage, and as some took advantage of the opportunity to explore recommended destinations along the route, the age of tourism arrived. Readers boarding the Wildfire at Curzon Street on the edges of the booming manufacturing town of Birmingham in 1838, the year of Queen Victoria's coronation, and join our contemporary commentators on a thought-provoking journey. Travelling out of Warwickshire along the tranquil, picturesque Tame valley, the route crosses the border into Staffordshire, and continues through the scarred and barren wastelands of the mining and manufacturing districts. Yet the journey also discovers many splendid gentlemen's seats of residence and stately houses along the way, allowing us to marvel at the ever-changing scenery as our journey unfolds across windswept Cannock Chase, up into northern Staffordshire and its districts famed for pottery. Along the way our commentators delve into the lives of the people who dwell in the many manufacturing and agricultural towns along the route, their lives changed forever by the rolling tide of industrialization rapidly sweeping the land. This is truly a living, spoken local history at the dawn of the Victorian age. The lines that made up the Grand Junction Railway now form the backbone of the West Coast Main Line. The first from the Railway Time Traveller's Guide series, this book provides the reader with an opportunity to retrace the journey made in 1838, sadly though not by steam. Wildfire through Staffordshire is not only a must-have for railway enthusiasts and local historians, but appeals to anybody interested in Britain's history and heritage. After completing the journey through Staffordshire aboard the Wildfire back in 1838, readers can re-visit the many places described in that early journey, as some now make up the famous modern day visitor attractions in Staffordshire. These are listed with visitor information in the last section although, sadly, many have disappeared in the mists of time.

Travel back to 1924 Birmingham by exploring the detailed street atlas republished in larger detail and supplemented with nostalgic views and vistas from the 1920's and earlier. This great manufacturing city had grown at an unprecedented rate fuelled by the Industrial Revolution and its rich diversity of trades. Throughout the 20th century its growth would not slow, however many buildings and landmarks would disappear, whether as a result of war time bombing or reckless planning. Numerous farmsteads can be seen in the outlying rural areas at that time, now they are long gone; their names now live on in the many housing estates that would be built in the ensuing decades.

National Geographic Wall Maps offer a special glimpse into current and historical events, and they inform about the world and environment. Offered in a variety of styles and formats, these maps are excellent reference tools and a perfect addition to any home, business or school. There are a variety of map options to choose from, including the world, continents, countries and regions, the United States, history, nature and space. Scale : 1:723,000 Flat Size : 914 x 711 mm.