A reader of The Geography of Memory recently praised the originality of the maps. I blushed, mostly because I developed them myself (with considerable help from Charles Syrett, the ace map-guy from Nelson, B.C., Canada. Check him out!)
Since my earliest days as a writer, I have sketched maps, some of which have their own tab on this site. As digital mapping has surged, maps like these began to feel quaint. Why would anyone consult a hand-drawn or paper map, if a cell phone is handy?
Well, it turns out there are paper map geeks out there. And, according to the Wall Street Journal, many of them are young people!
Who wants perfect accuracy, all the time? A hand-drawn map can evoke far more than the roads and places that make a journey. As in this map that I sketched in my notebook during a summer adventure from Lake Tahoe to Mt. Lassen National Park in California, along Route 89. The rational perspective is all off, but you get the idea.
This is great to read and see!