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5th out of 76 books
—
26 voters
You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination
Mapmaking fulfills one of our most ancient and deepseated desires: understanding the world around us and our place in it. But maps need not just show continents and oceans: there are maps to heaven and hell; to happiness and despair; maps of moods, matrimony, and mythological places. There are maps to popular culture, from Gulliver's Island to Gilligan's Island. There are...more
Paperback, 192 pages
Published
October 1st 2003
by Princeton Architectural Press
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Maps can be generally defined as representations of areas that show the location of features, such as rivers, streets or buried treasure. By looking at a modern, two-dimensional map of a part of this sphere we call Earth, we can work out where we are, where we’re going to and roughly how long it will take to get there.
And yet, as ‘You are here’ shows, maps don’t have to obey strict rules of measurement or accuracy. Maps may be subjective, emotional and fanciful. They can represent states of min...more
And yet, as ‘You are here’ shows, maps don’t have to obey strict rules of measurement or accuracy. Maps may be subjective, emotional and fanciful. They can represent states of min...more
I've read and reviewed map-art books before, but this one is really special. You can spend hours just going back and forth among all the illustrations of topography, internal and external, real and imagined, celestial and earth-bound, traditional and abstracted, emotional and physical: guide maps to just about everything, "each with a compelling agenda."
But don't skip the essays. Speculation, humor, art, science, classification, discovery, research: all appear in these pages of text. Bridget Boo...more
But don't skip the essays. Speculation, humor, art, science, classification, discovery, research: all appear in these pages of text. Bridget Boo...more
This book presents an interesting and wide-ranging collection of invented maps — that is, maps created from imagination, emotion, and memory which do not necessarily exist in a physical world. These range from drawings by little kids, the imagined work of historical cartographers, contemporary artists who bring mapping techniques into their work, and more.
Scattered periodically between of the hundred or so maps in You Are Here are fairly-interesting essays about mapping and how maps help us rela...more
Scattered periodically between of the hundred or so maps in You Are Here are fairly-interesting essays about mapping and how maps help us rela...more
I noticed "You Are Here" while I was weeding the history & geography section of the Lancaster Regional Library where I work. It was the idea of personal geographies that captured my attention; how do our experiences shape our vision? This mental cartography is what I was seeking. Did I find it? Yes and no.
It is true that a lot of Katherine Harmon's selections were indeed maps of truly *personal* geographies, many were not. Maps from novels, guides to a positive life, phrenological charts, el...more
It is true that a lot of Katherine Harmon's selections were indeed maps of truly *personal* geographies, many were not. Maps from novels, guides to a positive life, phrenological charts, el...more
It's a little hard to review this book, since it's mostly just a collection of images. There's not really a main thesis at work, beyond "these are some interesting map-related forms of visual communication" but that's ok. Each map has credits and a brief description/synopsis and there are also some essays interspersed throughout the book.
It's quite a contrast from the books I own that are most similar: Edward Tufte's oeuvre. You Are Here is not instructive like Tufte's work. While Tufte's books...more
It's quite a contrast from the books I own that are most similar: Edward Tufte's oeuvre. You Are Here is not instructive like Tufte's work. While Tufte's books...more
I got this nicely done little book for free in the aftermath of a rummage sale. It's good enough that I probably would have paid for it if I had the chance.
The book collects different maps, all ones with personal twists to them. Some of them are comical, others political, and still others just artistic exercises. The variety found within is a testament to the variety of forms a map could take (from highly defined land and water diagrams to abstract assemblages of color and text) and the uses fo...more
The book collects different maps, all ones with personal twists to them. Some of them are comical, others political, and still others just artistic exercises. The variety found within is a testament to the variety of forms a map could take (from highly defined land and water diagrams to abstract assemblages of color and text) and the uses fo...more
This is a book with lots of maps, which I love and what she calls "personal geographies." My favorite is one called "Earth at Night" which show city lighting, seasonal agricultural fires, natural gas flares in oil fields, and even the aurora borealis. There's another called "What's Up? South!," an artist's view of an upside down map of the world. Some of them are simply works of art, some are actual maps (a 1931 map of A Day's Pheasant Shoot, Long Island, 1931) and some are funny (A Map of Lovem...more
Best art book I have ever read! This book takes a really interesting delve into personal geographies. Maps serve a purpose in that they help understand the world around us and there is no better way to do that than looking at others imaginative combinations of words and pictures to describe surroundings, moods, anatomy, home, ideas, etc. Using maps to not only describe physical geographies, but personal ones opened up all of my notions about the power of maps and what they can do. This book is f...more
A sort of exhibition catalog of maps that are other than the physical geography sort--meaning that they map personal territories (my favorite being Bridget Booher's all text "Body Map of my Life" in which she catalogs her inner and outer marks and scars) or fictional ones, like those in Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons" series, or present pictorial flights of history or fantasy based on real countries. Not a complete or even very systematic exploration of what all a "map" can be or show, b...more
Very cool book. The kind of book I will need to have a copy of to put on my coffee table when I have a coffee table. 'Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination' is the subtitle, and the maps included fit all sorts of odd little nooks and corners within that concept.
Anatomical maps from centuries ago, Puritanical maps of morality (through the lagoons of laziness and the swamps of sloth to the high plateaus of moral righteousness) a map of the London Underground re-imagined with famou...more
Anatomical maps from centuries ago, Puritanical maps of morality (through the lagoons of laziness and the swamps of sloth to the high plateaus of moral righteousness) a map of the London Underground re-imagined with famou...more
I love maps, all kinds of maps. I love street maps, wall maps, globes, and I especially love maps in books, of both real and imaginary places. (The one in the book The Phantom Tollbooth has always given me great joy.) Whenever I start a book and see included maps, I am very happy. I was very excited to find and read this book.
The premise gets a 5 from me, the art (because that’s what these maps are) and creativity I give a full range of stars but overall I can give it a 4, but overall the maps i...more
The premise gets a 5 from me, the art (because that’s what these maps are) and creativity I give a full range of stars but overall I can give it a 4, but overall the maps i...more
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In a chaotic and uncertain world there is something very calming about maps. Across all cultures, mapmaking is a commonality. Harmon's collection beautifully documents humanity's obsession with knowing who, where, why, when and how we as explorers fit in.
Recommended by Amy
Maps are magical pieces of paper. Who doesn't love to pore over them and imagine traveling to New York, Paris, Amsterdam or even Weed, California? Maps are reassuring when you are lost, and they inspire you to dream when you'r...more
Recommended by Amy
Maps are magical pieces of paper. Who doesn't love to pore over them and imagine traveling to New York, Paris, Amsterdam or even Weed, California? Maps are reassuring when you are lost, and they inspire you to dream when you'r...more
You know, sometimes the ol' noggin just isn't in the mood to process deep thoughts on racial relations. What you really need is something that's both visually engaging and, if you choose, thought-provoking.
That's what I think Katharine Harmon has come up with in her book You Are Here: Personal Geographies And Other Maps of the Imagination. On one level, it's just a map book, lots of pretty pictures; I love map books so more maps, more good. But look again -- most of these maps aren't of anywhere...more
That's what I think Katharine Harmon has come up with in her book You Are Here: Personal Geographies And Other Maps of the Imagination. On one level, it's just a map book, lots of pretty pictures; I love map books so more maps, more good. But look again -- most of these maps aren't of anywhere...more
This is not really a book you "read", per se, but rather a book you pick up and lose yourself in depending on your fancy, what catches your eye or where you happen to open it to.
A wonderful exploration of personal maps and how we see, define and remember the world. It's a coffee table book that was sadly made book sized. I would love a coffee table size version of this book.
A wonderful exploration of personal maps and how we see, define and remember the world. It's a coffee table book that was sadly made book sized. I would love a coffee table size version of this book.
I've long been fascinated by maps, especially those which map imaginary places and experiences rather than geographic locations. This book is a small, beautifully printed collection of maps ranging from the stages of matrimony to 'the journey of life.' There are also beautiful maps of real locations done by artists. I'm half-way through and savoring the experience.
I've checked this book out twice from the library with every intention of loving it-- the premise is so delicious... visualizations (maps) of things that seem un-mappable. The first time, I read the introduction with relish and then looked through every page without anything pulling me in. The second time through, I realized that the introduction by the curator of this collection is the best part. Otherwise, there are a couple of images and essays that are "Okay" (and that's what two stars stand...more
A creative discussion and gallery of mapping concepts expressed in varying formats/occurences in a range of contexts throughout history. I was first drawn to this book because it features the work of Julie Mehretu, an artist I adore. Map themes are extremely variant stretching beyond the expected geographical approach to mapping the human body, heaven and hellspaces, daily schedules and hallucinogenic effects. A personal connection is that it features a map I used to have on the wall of my first...more
Jun 09, 2011
Karin Bartimole
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
artists, writers, map & picture lovers!
Shelves:
visual-inspiration
Visually inspiring, thought provoking. What makes a map be a map? Artists, and others, create through all cultures and ages to define personal and greater boundaries, laying them down for all to see.
This is primarily a collection of these beautiful and varied maps, with very little text. I am finding myself seeing everything through a topographers eye.
This is primarily a collection of these beautiful and varied maps, with very little text. I am finding myself seeing everything through a topographers eye.
I love this book. I love maps and images and interesting ideas about how and why to create them, so this book combines pretty much everything I love into one beautiful, creative, insightful package.
Harmon provides a wonderful collection of maps and essays that explore both the meaning of maps and mapping. This book is written for people who love maps. Most of the book is simply prints of maps that one can loose oneself for hours. The essays enlighten one to the spirit of mapping (making maps for personal understanding of space).
Fascinating examples of arts research and studio work. I would use this book to teach nearly an class in art, art history, or art education!
This book is akin to a carefully curated art exhibition. I love maps in all their forms, from 'realistic' maps of the world to transit maps to children's maps of their bedroom, so it's no surprise I loved this book. Its appeal goes a lot further though than what you might expect. The key words are 'personal' and 'imagination'. I think almost anyone could find something in here to relate to. Maps are a way of making some sort of sense of the world around us. This is a book to dip in and out of ov...more
"I am told there are people who do not care for maps, and I find that hard to believe." -Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
An essential tome for those interested in studying avant-cartography. A must for fans of Borges' "Tlon, Uqbar, Orbius Tertius."
I LOVE the concept of personal geography, and the maps and images in this book are amazingly creative and fascinating to me. This book has inspired me to start my own journal of little maps and map-like images of my life. I'm excited about this project in a way that nothing has excited me in a very long time.
Really, really lovely collection of all kinds of maps. Calming, easy to get lost in (get...found in?).
A whole new way of looking at maps! I especially like the maps of self and the maps of imaginary places.
I took a long time over this book, enjoying each & every map, reading/absorbing every detail I could. I even took the magnifying glass from my botanical pressing kit so I could read the tiniest notations. I was sorry not to see one of my first & most favorite maps (the route Katy takes in Virginia Lee Burton's Katy & the Big Snow or the changes to the Little House, which are also a kind of map over time) but the other maps made me go looking for it again. Besides, some of the maps in...more
Such a fun book to flip through, very creative!
It would be perfect if it lost the dimwit essays
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