National Geographic Infographics

by Julius Wiedemann (Editor)

Back in the days when the information age was a distant dream and the world a more mysterious place, National Geographic began its mission to reveal the wonders of history, popular science, and culture to eager audiences around the globe. Since that 1888 launch, the world has changed; empires have risen and crumbled and a galaxy of information is today only a click away. But National Geographic endures; its calm, authoritative voice is as respected as ever amid the surfeit of data in our daily lives. In this new anthology, TASCHEN and National Geographic gather the magazine’s best infographics of the past 128 years. Through seven sections―History, The Planet, Being Human, Animal World, World of Plants, Science & Technology, and Space―we encounter the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the mysterious origins of the Easter Island statues, Cleopatra’s Alexandria, and the anatomy behind a cheetah’s extraordinary speed. We discover how our genetic patterns have been pieced together over the years and how birds make music; we get to grips with global warming and explore our ever-expanding study of an ever-expanding universe. With an essay by Nigel Holmes, charting the evolution of National Geographic over the decades and its pioneering use of graphics, as well as five fold-outs mimicking original pull-outs or inserts in the magazine, the book stands as a defining record of one of the world’s best-known publications as well as a beautifully presented repository of accessible discovery and learning. Visualizing the histories, facts, and figures that make up our planet and our species, National Geographic Infographics is as true to the magazine’s original mission as ever―an anchor of knowledge and a wunderkammer of discovery for young and old alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Art, Reference, Design, Photography

480 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2016

About the author

Julius Wiedemann was born in Brazil, where he studied design and marketing, and has lived and worked in Japan, Germany, and the UK. An eclectic expert on design based visual culture, Wiedemann has produced books on a range of topics, from robots to record covers. He holds the positions of Executive Editor for Design and Pop Culture at TASCHEN. Wiedemann studied graphic design and marketing and was an art editor for newspapers and design publications before joining TASCHEN in 2001.

Wiedemann has edited over 40 books in 10 years, he is a regular contributor to magazines, and has been on the jury of several awards all over the world. His publications have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide, and his titles are immensely popular. As an editor his work is grounded in an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary design, synthesizing a vast array of topics, including logo design, fashion design, graphic design, web design, and product design. Underpinning many of his books is a desire to understand creativity and explore the nature of reality in a world that increasingly takes place online and is populated by characters and creatures not entirely human but of our creation. The wonders of animation, manga, and computer graphics fascinate and inspire him.

Julius Wiedemann’s TASCHEN titles include the celebrated series Illustration Now! a staple of any designer’s bookshelf, as well as the compendium 100 Illustrators. He has also edited the Package Design Book collection. His award-wining Jazz Covers and Rock Covers books showcase his editorial variety and his publication on National Geographic magazine’s infographics demonstrates how wide his design knowledge and appreciation extends.

Reviews

[Legens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very educational - invites to browse, read slowly, just one chapter or a few pages at a time (which is also a necessity due to the sheer size and weight of the book). My own journey through this took almost four years.

[Lisa Daleiden-Brugman · Rating 4 out of 5]

National Geographic has some of the best infographics I’ve seen. This book has them cover to cover! Beware: this book weighs about 8-10lbs!

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the big book of pictures about what you want to know. All right, of what you might want to know. Or sometimes what you might not have known that you wanted to know, but were happy to know once you had seen the pictures and read the minimal text.

It will cover most of your coffee table beautifully.

[Alexandru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating concentrated National Geographic infographics.

[Clement Ying · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning infographic.

More than geography.