One of the things that make maps so valuable is the way they unintentionally communicate information about the culture of the time the map was made. Most of our culture is invisible to us. We live and move in it and the things we do, say, build, and leave behind just seem to us the way things are. However, in a hundred years or more there will be aspects of our time that will seem absolutely foreign to our descendents and some things that will resonate with their own view of themselves.

So it is with the wonderful maps in this book. London has long been one of the great cities in the world and its history goes back to pre-Roman times. In this book we start in the mid-Tudor era. It is so fascinating to see how close to the river this great city was and how small it is compared to the monster city of today. We get to see other maps leading up to the Great Fire of 1666. There we see how much of the city was destroyed and the various proposals for rebuilding and what was actually built again.

Not all of the maps are of the whole city, we see how certain key areas were designed and built. There are also interesting details of land use, in what order the countryside was swallowed into the city.

There are also health study and social reform maps especially in the Victorian era. Transportation proposals and the birth of Trafalgar Square make for interesting reading, as well. A famous aerial view done from a balloon is also included and makes for very interesting viewing.

There is such a wealth and variety that I cannot describe them all, but I consider this book a treasure.