The Atlas of Geographical Curiosities - a glorious celebration of an unusual world. Welcome to this compendium of interesting, unexpected and downright bizarre geographical anomalies that are guaranteed to delight and inspire. The world is full of little-known facts that have sometimes been a source of diplomatic or military struggle. Many still exist under the radar now to be revealed by this entertaining treasure trove. Where else can you discover: Countries that do not really exist A UK hotel room which became Yugoslavian for one day only An island which is Spanish for six months of the year and French for the other six A city which is officially constituted by one single high-rise (14 floor) building The world's first and only railway that belonged to one country and ran across another A hotel room whose bedroom is in France and whose bathroom is in Switzerland Bir Tawil which is one of the very few territories on earth not claimed by any country The only place in the world where you can find so-called counter-enclaves where in a 20-minute walk around the town you can cross an international border at least 50 times at 50 different points The world is full of wonderful and strange geographical irregularities. Turn to the Atlas of Geographical Curiosities to uncover more little known but important facts.

Imagine what the world once looked like as you discover places that have disappeared from modern atlases in this stunningly illustrated and award-winning book. Have you ever wondered about cities that lie forgotten under the dust of newly settled land? Rivers and seas whose changing shape has shifted the landscape around them? Or, even, places that have seemingly vanished, without a trace? Following the international bestselling success of Atlas of Improbable Places and Atlas of the Unexpected, Travis Elborough takes you on a voyage to all corners of the world in search of the lost, disappearing and vanished. Discover ancient seats of power and long-forgotten civilizations through the Mayan city of Palenque; delve into the mystery of a disappeared Japanese islet; and uncover the incredible hidden sites like the submerged Old Adaminaby, once abandoned but slowly remerging. With beautiful maps and stunning colour photography, Atlas of Vanishing Places shows these places as they once were as well as how they look today: a fascinating guide to lost lands and the fragility of our relationship with the world around us. WINNER Illustrated Book of the Year - Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020 Also in the Unexpected Atlas series: Atlas of Improbable Places, Atlas of Untamed Places, Atlas of the Unexpected.

A full colour map, based on a digitised map of the city of Oxford in 1876, with its medieval past overlain and important buildings picked out. Oxford is synonymous with its university but deserves to be known as a city in its own right as well. What the map shows is a city of different parts: areas where the base map of 1876 might still be used today, and parts which are now quite unrecognisable. This second edition of a map first issued in 2015 has been updated and revised to reflect further the editor's recent research. The opportunity has been taken to update the gazetteer of buildings and sites of interest and it is now printed in full colour throughout. The map's cover has a short introduction to the city's history, and on the reverse an illustrated and comprehensive gazetteer of Oxford's main sites of interest, from medieval monasteries to Oxford castle and the working class and industrial areas that lay just beyond the 'dreaming spires' of the city centre.

A full colour map, based on digitised OS maps of Alnwick and Alnmouth of about 1920, with its Anglo-Saxon and medieval past overlain and important buildings picked out. The map's cover has a short introduction to the area's history, and on the reverse an illustrated and comprehensive gazetteer of Alnwick's and Alnmouth's main sites of historic interest. The back of the map has coloured early views of buildings, monuments and street scenes of Alnwick and Alnmouth. The map has been created by a team of people representing the various historical societies of Alnwick and Alnmouth, a number of individuals with specific local knowledge and the curators of local historical collections, including the extensive archives of both the Duke of Northumberland and Bailiffgate Museum. Members of the team have previously produced works on particular aspects of the area's history, including the town itself, local heritage heroes, the Abbey, the Shrovetide Football Game and the district during the Great War.

The Inflatable Globe is a fun water proof globe great for teaching children about the world. This Inflatable Globe is brightly coloured and indicates capital cities, lines of longitude and latitude, international time zones, elevation, physical features, oceans, seas and is set out in a learner-friendly manner. This Inflatable Globe is a great educational product for children. It can be used in the classroom or at home. Ideal for young and old alike.

This beautiful book is a lavishly illustrated look at the most important atlases in history and the cartographers who made them. Atlases are books that changed the course of history. Pored over by rulers, explorers and adventures these books were used to build empires, wage wars, encourage diplomacy and nurture trade. Written by Philip Parker, an authority on the history of maps, this book brings these fascinating artefacts to life, offering a unique, lavishly illustrated guide to the history of these incredible books and the cartographers behind them. All key cartographic works from the last half-millennium are covered, including: The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, considered the world's first atlas and produced in 1570 by the Dutch, geographer Abraham Ortelius. The 17th-century Klencke - one of the world's largest books that requires 6 people to carry it The Rand McNally Atlas of 1881, still in print today and a book that turned its makers, William H Rand and Andrew McNally into cartographic royalty. This beautiful book will engross readers with its detailed, visually stunning illustrations and fascinating story of how map-making has developed throughout human history.

All over the world there are places that became famous forever because something extraordinary happened there by chance. Beautifully illustrated and carefully researched Fame By Chance covers 380 such places with new insights and facts that are amusing, surprising and sometimes controversial. Foreword by Peter Ackroyd. All over the world there are places that became famous forever by chance - battles briefly waged, scenes of triumph and disater, sites of murder and intrigue, centres of influential creativity and noted mythical places from books and film. How and why did; Angora, Tabasco, Duffel and Fray Bentos give us products good and bad; Kohima's tennis court save India; Storyville's 269 brothels helped it to create jaz; Botany Bay never saw any British convicts; Tay Bridge was a disaster avoided by Marx and Engels; 'OK' stands for a farmhouse; Ferrari chose the 'Prancing Horse of Maranello'; Kyoto was saved from Hiroshoma's terrible fate; The British built the Great Hedge of India; With 432 pages beautifully illustrated and carefully researched Fame By Chance covers 380 such places with new insights and facts that are amusing, surprising and sometimes controversial.

One of the most beautiful maps to survive the Great Age of Discoveries, the 1513 world map drawn by Ottoman admiral Piri Reis is also one of the most mysterious. Gregory McIntosh has uncovered new evidence in the map that shows it to be among the most important ever made.

This detailed study offers new commentary and explication of a major milestone in cartography. Correcting earlier work of Paul Kahle and pointing out the traps that have caught subsequent scholars, McIntosh disproves the dubious conclusion that the Reis map embodied Columbus's Third Voyage map of 1498, showing that it draws instead on the Second Voyage of 1493-1496. He also refutes the popular misinterpretation that Reis's depictions of Antarctica are evidence of either ancient civilizations or extraterrestrial visitation. McIntosh brings together all that has been previously known about the map and also assembles for the first time the translations of all inscriptions on the map and analyzes all place-names given for New World and Atlantic islands. His work clarifies long-standing mysteries and opens up new ways of looking at the history of exploration.

A full colour map, based on digitised OS maps of Swansea of about 1919, with its medieval past overlain and important buildings picked out. The map includes an inset map of Mumbles and its medieval castle. In the Middle Ages, Swansea (Abertawe) became a centre for trade around the mouth of the river Tawe. Following Norman control of the area, Swansea Castle was established in the early 12th century and a borough charter was granted at the end of that century. Great growth began in the 17th century with the establishment of copper-smelting in the area of the lower Tawe valley, an industry which grew until Swansea was the world capital of the copper industry - hence its nickname of 'Copperopolis'. Initially using ore from Cornwall, Swansea took advantage of its local coal resources and its good port facilities to process copper, arsenic, tin, gold and other metals, using imported raw materials from all over the world. The port exported the final products, along with many tons of coal. At the time of the background map shown here, heavy industry and its spoil heaps dominated the lower Tawe valley, and extensive docks dominated the south of the town, but evidence of its medieval past and its street layout survived. The remains of the Norman castle became a workhouse and the course of the river Tawe had been altered to make access for ships easier.

Geography is a system of highly developed sciences about the environment. Geographical science embracing the study of the Earth's physical phenomena, people and their economic activities has always been in need of an extensive terminology. Geographical terms are related to the terms of natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology, geology, etc.) and humanities (history, economics, sociology, etc.) since geography is based on these fundamental subjects.
Geography includes a number of disciplines and subdivisions which appeared along with the development of the science In spite of being very different geographical disciplines have some common tools of investigation which is maps, comparative method of exploration, remote sensing, geoinformation systems.
Today very well developed terminologies of all the specialist fields of geography and related subjects exist in the main world languages. However, they are not always well-correlated. Nowadays geographical terminology requires unification and international correlation more than ever before. Hence the idea of compiling a multilingual polydisciplinary dictionary.
The Dictionary consists of the basic table of terms arranged according to the order of the English alphabet with each term numbered. Each entry consists of the term in English and its equivalents in Russian, French, German, Spanish. Short definitions of terms are given in English and in Russian. The terms are supplied with the necessary grammar labels, such as gender of nouns, plural number, etc.
The Dictionary combines two functions: that of a defining dictionary and that of a bilingual dictionary. These two functions are basically contradictory because usually thedefining dictionary is aimed at giving one meaning of the word which is the main and essential one, while the bilingual dictionary tries to give different equivalents of a given word in the other language in order to supply the user with maximum possible translations, differing in the shades of meanings, thus giving him the possibility to choose the appropriate word. But in our Dictionary we intentionally decided to combine the two functions - defining and multilingual, because a short definition of the term and equivalents in other languages help to achieve our main aim which consists in showing the basic geographical terminology and harmonizing it in several languages. Having this into consideration we deliberately mixed two types of dictionaries in one.
*Organized alphabetically via English
*Provides short definition of geographical terms in English and Russian
*Includes multilingual translation of terms from English to Russian, French, German, Spanish

Visit the blog for the book at www.brooklynbyname.com

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

"Fascinating morsels of Brooklyn history. . . . An entertaining, breezy compilation for the NYU Press, perfect for reading down at Coney, up on tar beach, or out on your shady front stoop this summer. . . . So if you wanna know how Dead Horse Bay, Sheepshead Bay, Floyd Bennett Field, Smith St. Carroll Gardens, Junior's Restaurant, Green-Wood Cemetery, Gilmore Court or the Riegelmann Boardwalk got their names, grab a copy of Brooklyn by Name."
--"New York Daily News"

"Information is well presented and well illustrated--both factors making this guide easy on the eye. Hardly a location is left unexplored in this fascinating, indispensable guide to a borough undeservedly in Manhattan's shadow."
--"Booklist"

"Witty, occasionally irreverent and always engaging, Brooklyn by Name takes readers from the six independent towns that once comprised Breuckelen to the modern metropolis. Weiss and Benardo have uncovered surprising data and have woven a compulsively readable narrative. Pick it up, rifle through, and find out about--or be reminded of--the underpinnings of our boroughas heritage."
--"The Brooklyn Rail"

"This book is an essential companion for anyone teaching about Brooklyn, for anyone writing about the borough, and for tour guide people. Benardo and Weiss have to be pleased with their product, and clearly should be congratulated."
--"Brooklyn Daily Eagle"

"Brooklyn streets, parks and sites are dripping with history, and husband-and-wife team Leonard Benardo and Jennifer Weiss have hung them all out to dry in their dictionary of street smarts, Brooklyn ByName."
--"Brooklyn Papers"

"A well-researched and concise compilation of the historical derivation of the place names in Brooklyn, an engaging stroll through the cityas largest borough and its history. . . . The book is easy to pick up, and with its wide-ranging, often quirky fragments of Brooklyn history, hard to put down."
--"Courier-Life Publications"

aAn excellent guide to Brooklyn. Explaining Brooklynas often mystifyingA names (like Force Tube Avenue and Dead Horse Bay) allows the streets to speak their stories. Walkers in the borough should not leave home without it.a
--Mike Wallace, co-author of "Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898"

aAn engaging stroll through the cityas largest borough and its historya
--Bay News

"Uncovering the remarkable stories behind the landmarks, Brooklyn by name takes readers on a stroll through streets and places of this thriving metropolis to reveal the borough's textured past. --NYU Today

"From Albemarle Road to Zion Triangle, the history of Brooklyn place names revealed in Brooklyn By Name is as fascinating as life in the County of Kings itself. By putting faces to the names of our streets, parks, and neighborhoods, Benardo and Weiss bring to vibrant life hundreds of places where Brooklynites live, work, and play every day. Whether weare called Breukelen, Brookland, or Brooklyn, thereas no place like it in the world!"
--Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President

"This beautifully researched, lucidly written and compulsively readable book will have readers bouncing from entry to entry. By focusing on the derivation of Brooklyn's place-names, the authors have subtly traced the borough's rich history of politics, power, greed and idealism."
--Phillip Lopate, author of "Waterfront: A Journey Around Manhattan"

aTaking off from neighborhood names, this page-turner of a book tells of the successive waves of settlers and immigrant arrivals who have given Brooklyn its distinctive flavor. Here are the men and women whose fantasies, foibles, and otherwise-fleeting fame find permanency in the pavements, parks and place-names of the borough that almost wasn't part of New York. Nicely illustrated with an exceptional folio of new photos and unusual old illustrations, and peppered with vivid stories and obscure facts, this book will fascinate even the most provincial of non-Brooklynites. You don't have to live there to love this book.a
--Andrew Alpern, co-author of "New Yorkas Architectural Holdouts"

"Jump into your walking shoes, bring along this marvelous book, and get ready to explore Brooklyn's streets!"
--Judith Stonehill, coauthor of "Brooklyn: A Journey Through the City of Dreams"

From Bedford-Stuyvesant to Williamsburg, Brooklyn's historic names are emblems of American culture and history. Uncovering the remarkable stories behind the landmarks, Brooklyn By Name takes readers on a stroll through the streets and places of this thriving metropolis to reveal the borough's textured past.

Listing more than 500 of Brooklyn's most prominent place names, organized alphabetically by region, and richly illustrated with photographs and current maps the book captures the diverse threads of American history. We learn about the Canarsie Indians, the region's first settlers, whose language survives in daily traffic reports about the Gowanus Expressway. The arrival of the Dutch West India Companyin 1620 brought the first wave of European names, from Boswijck ("town in the woods," later Bushwick) to Bedford-Stuyvesant, after the controversial administrator of the Dutch colony, to numerous places named after prominent Dutch families like the Bergens.

The English takeover of the area in 1664 led to the Anglicization of Dutch names, (vlackebos, meaning "wooded plain," became Flatbush) and the introduction of distinctively English names (Kensington, Brighton Beach). A century later the American Revolution swept away most Tory monikers, replacing them with signers of the Declaration of Independence and international figures who supported the revolution such as Lafayette (France), De Kalb (Germany), and Kosciuszko (Poland). We learn too of the dark corners of Brooklyn's past, encountering over 70 streets named for prominent slaveholders like Lefferts and Lott but none for its most famous abolitionist, Walt Whitman.

From the earliest settlements to recent commemorations such as Malcolm X Boulevard, Brooklyn By Name tells the tales of the poets, philosophers, baseball heroes, diplomats, warriors, and saints who have left their imprint on this polyethnic borough that was once almost disastrously renamed "New York East."

Ideal for all Brooklynites, newcomers, and visitors, this book includes:

*Over 500 entries explaining the colorful history of Brooklyn's most prominent place names

*Over 100 vivid photographs of Brooklyn past and present

*9 easy to follow and up-to-date maps of the neighborhoods

*Informative sidebars covering topics like Ebbets Field, Lindsay Triangle, and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

*Covers all neighborhoods, easily find the street you're on

Forget crosswords or Sudoku! The Maps Quiz Book is the ultimate activity book to improve your navigation skills, wherever you may be in the world. Featuring 50 maps that cover subjects and places from around the globe, this book includes a range of historical, modern and fictional maps that will please any map aficionado. Each map comes with three different levels of questions under the headings Easy, Medium and Difficult, and all answers are included at the back of the book. The questions in The Maps Quiz Book don't require any prior cartographic knowledge, so this brain teaser book will suit the whole family. In no time you'll be expanding your knowledge and navigating your way through streets, geographic wonders and amazing facts via maps from around the world. A perfect gift for the navigator in your life, for ages 10 upwards.

Spanning the Islamic world, from ninth-century Baghdad to nineteenth-century Iran, this book tells the story of the key Muslim map-makers and the art of Islamic cartography. Muslims were uniquely placed to explore the edges of the inhabited world and their maps stretched from Isfahan to Palermo, from Istanbul to Cairo and Aden. Over a similar period, Muslim artists developed distinctive styles, often based on geometrical patterns and calligraphy. Map-makers, including al-Khwarazmi and al-Idrisi, combined novel cartographical techniques with art, science and geographical knowledge. The results could be aesthetically stunning and mathematically sophisticated, politically charged as well as a celebration of human diversity. 'Islamic Maps' examines Islamic visual interpretations of the world in their historical context, through the lives of the map-makers themselves. What was the purpose of their maps, what choices did they make and what was the argument they were trying to convey? Lavishly illustrated with stunning manuscripts, beautiful instruments and Qibla charts, this book shows how maps constructed by Muslim map-makers capture the many dimensions of Islamic civilisation, providing a window into the worldviews of Islamic societies.

Map reverse carries an illustrated gazetteer of sites of interest: approx. 6,600 wordsMap cover carries inside a brief history of Hull: 1,300 words. Illustrations: coloured engravings and early views of buildings, monuments and street scenesA full colour map, based on an Ordnance Survey map of 1928, with buildings and sites of interest picked out. Few cities have experienced Hull's uninterrupted position as one of Britain's leading centres of population and economic activity over nine centuries. The variety and richness of its architecture are too often overlooked. The map shows the main medieval and post-medieval buildings in this remarkable and interesting city, the second-most historic city of Yorkshire. The map's cover has a short introduction to the city's history, and on the reverse an illustrated and comprehensive gazetteer of Hull's main buildings and sites of interest, from medieval monasteries to cinemas and theatres, and the huge fortified citadel.

Coventry is UK City of Culture, 2021. A full colour map, based on a digitised map of the city of Coventry in 1913, with its medieval past overlain and important buildings picked out. For many people, the history of Coventry is synonymous with the devastation of the Second World War. The Blitz and post-war reconstruction are widely perceived to have erased all traces of medieval heritage, but in fact Coventry has a rich surviving medieval history that few people know about. From the mid-14th to the mid-16th centuries Coventry was the 'boom town' of England and the seat of royal power. By the earl 20th century it was an engineering and manufacturing powerhouse. This map brings it to life.