Cartography for the Humanities

The goal of this book is to encourage scholars to use maps where maps are needed. . . . Encouragement thus takes the form of demystifying map making by showing how straightforward graphic logic can help the scholar-author compose visually effective maps to improve the clarity and impact of a book or article (ix).

The question this study will answer, then, is whether the author successfully achieves these clear goals. The answer of the study will be in the affirmative---the author does indeed effectively bring the realm of "mapping it out" down to earth in theory and application. At the same time, it must be remembered that the author is a scholar who is writing to other scholars in specialized fields. The book, in other words, is not for the lay reader who merely wants to hear about the fundamentals of maps, map making, map applications, etc. The book is technical and scholarly and will benefit only those already schooled in methods and processes of scientific research.

The author focuses on trying to open up the fields of the humanities and the social sciences because those realms to date have made less use of maps than the "harder" sciences.

The key to the author's goals is the phrase "demystifying map making." To measure the effectiveness of the book is to measure the degree to which the author demystif

. . .
g, like writing, can be done lucidly and elegantly. Helping the conscientious scholar create and use visually efficient, aesthetically satisfactory maps is my goal in this book (4). The author points out certain fundamental facts which will allow the researcher to integrate the use of maps with their written words more smoothly, effectively and meaningfully: "Although maps added after writing the first draft can be beneficial . . . , earlier awareness of cartographic information . . . can assure a fuller, more coherent integration of maps with words" (18). In other words, maps should not be viewed as something extraneous which should only be slapped onto the work as a sort of scholarly "padding" to buttress the research proper. As successful as the author is in demystifying map making, it should not be assumed by the reader that this is a book which might simply be opened here and there as a general reference work. The book is meant to be read from cover to cover. Terms are clearly defined as they are introduced, and this defining process is absolutely necessary if the reader is to make sense of the book. For example, if we have not read the section on "Scale, Perspective and Generalization" from the beginning, absorbing the de
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Social Sciences, Perspective Generalization, humanities social sciences, social sciences, humanities social, Mark Monmonier, maps , , natural language, demystifying map, Chicago Press, Mapping Expository, Cartography Humanities, Expository Cartography, Humanities Social, mapping expository cartography, book article, maps map, projection , written words, demystifying maps, cartography humanities social, expository cartography humanities,
Approximate Word count = 1528
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)