Author: Nicholas Crane
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466880139
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 500
Book Description
An enthralling biography of the man who created the first real map of the world and changed civilization Born at the dawn of the age of discovery, Gerhard Mercator lived in an era of formidable intellectual and scientific advances. At the center of these developments were the cartographers who painstakingly pieced together the evidence to create ever more accurate pictures of the planet. Mercator was the greatest of all of them-a poor farm boy who attended one of Europe's top universities, was persecuted and imprisoned by the Inquisition, but survived to coin the term "atlas" and to produce the so-called projection for which he is known. Devoutly religious, yet gripped by Aristotelian science, Mercator struggled to reconcile the two, a conflict mirrored by the growing clash in Europe between humanism and the Church. Mercator solved the dimensional riddle that had vexed cosmographers for so long: How could the three-dimensional globe be converted into a two-dimensional map while retaining true compass bearings? The projection revolutionized navigation and has become the most common worldview. Nicholas Crane-a fellow geographer-has combined a keen eye for historical detail with a gift for vivid storytelling to produce a masterful biography of the man who mapped the planet.
Mercator
Author: Nicholas Crane
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466880139
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 500
Book Description
An enthralling biography of the man who created the first real map of the world and changed civilization Born at the dawn of the age of discovery, Gerhard Mercator lived in an era of formidable intellectual and scientific advances. At the center of these developments were the cartographers who painstakingly pieced together the evidence to create ever more accurate pictures of the planet. Mercator was the greatest of all of them-a poor farm boy who attended one of Europe's top universities, was persecuted and imprisoned by the Inquisition, but survived to coin the term "atlas" and to produce the so-called projection for which he is known. Devoutly religious, yet gripped by Aristotelian science, Mercator struggled to reconcile the two, a conflict mirrored by the growing clash in Europe between humanism and the Church. Mercator solved the dimensional riddle that had vexed cosmographers for so long: How could the three-dimensional globe be converted into a two-dimensional map while retaining true compass bearings? The projection revolutionized navigation and has become the most common worldview. Nicholas Crane-a fellow geographer-has combined a keen eye for historical detail with a gift for vivid storytelling to produce a masterful biography of the man who mapped the planet.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466880139
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 500
Book Description
An enthralling biography of the man who created the first real map of the world and changed civilization Born at the dawn of the age of discovery, Gerhard Mercator lived in an era of formidable intellectual and scientific advances. At the center of these developments were the cartographers who painstakingly pieced together the evidence to create ever more accurate pictures of the planet. Mercator was the greatest of all of them-a poor farm boy who attended one of Europe's top universities, was persecuted and imprisoned by the Inquisition, but survived to coin the term "atlas" and to produce the so-called projection for which he is known. Devoutly religious, yet gripped by Aristotelian science, Mercator struggled to reconcile the two, a conflict mirrored by the growing clash in Europe between humanism and the Church. Mercator solved the dimensional riddle that had vexed cosmographers for so long: How could the three-dimensional globe be converted into a two-dimensional map while retaining true compass bearings? The projection revolutionized navigation and has become the most common worldview. Nicholas Crane-a fellow geographer-has combined a keen eye for historical detail with a gift for vivid storytelling to produce a masterful biography of the man who mapped the planet.
Rhumb Lines and Map Wars
Author: Mark Monmonier
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226534324
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
In Rhumb Lines and Map Wars, Mark Monmonier offers an insightful, richly illustrated account of the controversies surrounding Flemish cartographer Gerard Mercator's legacy. He takes us back to 1569, when Mercator announced a clever method of portraying the earth on a flat surface, creating the first projection to take into account the earth's roundness. As Monmonier shows, mariners benefited most from Mercator's projection, which allowed for easy navigation of the high seas with rhumb lines—clear-cut routes with a constant compass bearing—for true direction. But the projection's popularity among nineteenth-century sailors led to its overuse—often in inappropriate, non-navigational ways—for wall maps, world atlases, and geopolitical propaganda. Because it distorts the proportionate size of countries, the Mercator map was criticized for inflating Europe and North America in a promotion of colonialism. In 1974, German historian Arno Peters proffered his own map, on which countries were ostensibly drawn in true proportion to one another. In the ensuing "map wars" of the 1970s and 1980s, these dueling projections vied for public support—with varying degrees of success. Widely acclaimed for his accessible, intelligent books on maps and mapping, Monmonier here examines the uses and limitations of one of cartography's most significant innovations. With informed skepticism, he offers insightful interpretations of why well-intentioned clerics and development advocates rallied around the Peters projection, which flagrantly distorted the shape of Third World nations; why journalists covering the controversy ignored alternative world maps and other key issues; and how a few postmodern writers defended the Peters worldview with a self-serving overstatement of the power of maps. Rhumb Lines and Map Wars is vintage Monmonier: historically rich, beautifully written, and fully engaged with the issues of our time.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226534324
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 257
Book Description
In Rhumb Lines and Map Wars, Mark Monmonier offers an insightful, richly illustrated account of the controversies surrounding Flemish cartographer Gerard Mercator's legacy. He takes us back to 1569, when Mercator announced a clever method of portraying the earth on a flat surface, creating the first projection to take into account the earth's roundness. As Monmonier shows, mariners benefited most from Mercator's projection, which allowed for easy navigation of the high seas with rhumb lines—clear-cut routes with a constant compass bearing—for true direction. But the projection's popularity among nineteenth-century sailors led to its overuse—often in inappropriate, non-navigational ways—for wall maps, world atlases, and geopolitical propaganda. Because it distorts the proportionate size of countries, the Mercator map was criticized for inflating Europe and North America in a promotion of colonialism. In 1974, German historian Arno Peters proffered his own map, on which countries were ostensibly drawn in true proportion to one another. In the ensuing "map wars" of the 1970s and 1980s, these dueling projections vied for public support—with varying degrees of success. Widely acclaimed for his accessible, intelligent books on maps and mapping, Monmonier here examines the uses and limitations of one of cartography's most significant innovations. With informed skepticism, he offers insightful interpretations of why well-intentioned clerics and development advocates rallied around the Peters projection, which flagrantly distorted the shape of Third World nations; why journalists covering the controversy ignored alternative world maps and other key issues; and how a few postmodern writers defended the Peters worldview with a self-serving overstatement of the power of maps. Rhumb Lines and Map Wars is vintage Monmonier: historically rich, beautifully written, and fully engaged with the issues of our time.
The World of Gerard Mercator
Author: Andrew Taylor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 080271806X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
The story of discovery and mapmaking is one of pushing back shadows," writes Andrew Taylor, and "none in the last two thousand years achieved as much as Gerard Mercator in extending the boundaries of what could be comprehended." His life encompassed most of the turbulent, extraordinary sixteenth century, a time when revolutions would engulf religion, science, and civilization. Almost extinguished by the Inquisition, Mercator's genius lay in making maps, and his achievement did nothing less than revolutionize the study of geography. Appropriately for an era undergoing radical change, Mercator was full of contradiction, tied to knowledge and beliefs of the past while forging a new path. He never traveled beyond northern Europe, yet he had the imagination to draw the entire world anew and to solve a problem that had baffled sailors and scientists for centuries: how a curved Earth could be faithfully rendered on a flat surface so as to allow for accurate navigation. His "projection" was so visionary that it is used by NASA to map Mars today. Andrew Taylor has beautifully captured Mercator amidst the turmoil and opportunity of his times and the luminaries who inspired his talent-his teacher and business partner, Gemma Frisius; the English magus, John Dee; his benefactor, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, his cartographic collaborator, Abraham Ortelius. The World of Gerard Mercator is a masterful biography of one of the men most responsible for the modern world.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 080271806X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
The story of discovery and mapmaking is one of pushing back shadows," writes Andrew Taylor, and "none in the last two thousand years achieved as much as Gerard Mercator in extending the boundaries of what could be comprehended." His life encompassed most of the turbulent, extraordinary sixteenth century, a time when revolutions would engulf religion, science, and civilization. Almost extinguished by the Inquisition, Mercator's genius lay in making maps, and his achievement did nothing less than revolutionize the study of geography. Appropriately for an era undergoing radical change, Mercator was full of contradiction, tied to knowledge and beliefs of the past while forging a new path. He never traveled beyond northern Europe, yet he had the imagination to draw the entire world anew and to solve a problem that had baffled sailors and scientists for centuries: how a curved Earth could be faithfully rendered on a flat surface so as to allow for accurate navigation. His "projection" was so visionary that it is used by NASA to map Mars today. Andrew Taylor has beautifully captured Mercator amidst the turmoil and opportunity of his times and the luminaries who inspired his talent-his teacher and business partner, Gemma Frisius; the English magus, John Dee; his benefactor, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, his cartographic collaborator, Abraham Ortelius. The World of Gerard Mercator is a masterful biography of one of the men most responsible for the modern world.
Mercator; or, Commerce retrieved
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 374
Book Description
Comparative Biologies of Oryzaephilus Surinamensis and O. Mercator (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) on Dried Fruits and Nuts
Author: Charles E. Curtis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fruit
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fruit
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
Glossary of the Mapping Sciences
Author: American Society of Civil Engineers
Publisher: ASCE Publications
ISBN: 9780784475706
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 596
Book Description
The Glossary of Mapping Sciences, a joint publication of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), contains approximately 10,000 terms that cover the broad professional areas of surveying, mapping and remote sensing. Based on over 150 sources, this glossary west through an extensive review process that included individual experts from the related subject fields and a variety of U.S. federal agencies such as the U.S.Geological Survey. This comprehensive review process helped to ensure the accuracy of the document. The Glossary of Mapping Sciences will find widespread use throughout the related professions and serve as a vehicle to standardize the terminology of the mapping sciences.
Publisher: ASCE Publications
ISBN: 9780784475706
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 596
Book Description
The Glossary of Mapping Sciences, a joint publication of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM), American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS), and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), contains approximately 10,000 terms that cover the broad professional areas of surveying, mapping and remote sensing. Based on over 150 sources, this glossary west through an extensive review process that included individual experts from the related subject fields and a variety of U.S. federal agencies such as the U.S.Geological Survey. This comprehensive review process helped to ensure the accuracy of the document. The Glossary of Mapping Sciences will find widespread use throughout the related professions and serve as a vehicle to standardize the terminology of the mapping sciences.
Gérard de Cremer ou Mercator, Géographe Flamand
Author: J. van RAEMDONCK
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 88
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 88
Book Description
A World of Innovation
Author: Gerhard Holzer
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443875708
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
Gerhard Mercator (1512–1594) was the most important cartographer and globemaker of the 16th century. He is particularly remembered for his publication Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura (1595), and for his specific cylindrical map projection (1569), which is still used widely today. This book brings together the latest research on Mercator with a view to his sources and his relationships with other scientific disciplines and cartographers of his time, as well as his role in the wider worlds of Renaissance cartography and Humanism.
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443875708
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 280
Book Description
Gerhard Mercator (1512–1594) was the most important cartographer and globemaker of the 16th century. He is particularly remembered for his publication Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura (1595), and for his specific cylindrical map projection (1569), which is still used widely today. This book brings together the latest research on Mercator with a view to his sources and his relationships with other scientific disciplines and cartographers of his time, as well as his role in the wider worlds of Renaissance cartography and Humanism.
Gerardus Mercator
Author: Ann Heinrichs
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 9780756533120
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
A biography of the sixteenth-century cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who invented a method of projecting the curvature of the Earth's surface on to a flat sheet of paper.
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 9780756533120
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
A biography of the sixteenth-century cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who invented a method of projecting the curvature of the Earth's surface on to a flat sheet of paper.
The World of Gerard Mercator
Author: Andrew Taylor
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780802713773
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
Almost extinguished by the Spanish Inquisition, genius cartographer Mercator revolutionized the study of geography. His "projection" was so visionary that it is still used by NASA to map Mars today.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780802713773
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Book Description
Almost extinguished by the Spanish Inquisition, genius cartographer Mercator revolutionized the study of geography. His "projection" was so visionary that it is still used by NASA to map Mars today.