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The Nine Lives of John Ogilby: Britain's Master Mapmaker and His Secrets
Four hundred years ago, every barrister had to dance because dancing put them in harmony with the universe. John Ogilby's first job, in 1612, was to teach them. By the 1670s, he was Charles II's Royal Cosmographer, creating beautiful measured drawings that placed roads on maps for the first time. During the intervening years, Ogilby had travelled through fire and plague, war and shipwreck; had been an impresario in Dublin, a poet in London, a soldier and sea captain, as well as a secret agent, publisher and scientific geographer. The world of his youth had been blown up and turned upside down. Beset by danger, he carefully concealed his biography in codes and cyphers, which meant that the truth about his life has remained unknown until today.
In this book, Alan Ereira brings a fascinating hidden history to light, and reveals that Ogilby's celebrated Britannia is far more than a harmless road atlas: it is, rather, filled with secrets designed to serve Charles II s sinister purpose...
The Nine Lives of John Ogilby is the story of a remarkable man, and of a covert journey which gave birth to the modern world.
In this book, Alan Ereira brings a fascinating hidden history to light, and reveals that Ogilby's celebrated Britannia is far more than a harmless road atlas: it is, rather, filled with secrets designed to serve Charles II s sinister purpose...
The Nine Lives of John Ogilby is the story of a remarkable man, and of a covert journey which gave birth to the modern world.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 22, 2017
Some good historical research here,from an associate of Terry Jones, how John Ogibily's career went from dancer,theatre desigber,soldier to map maker for Charles II, good on the early political contexts of maps, Brittania was designed with an invasion from France in mind. See https://www.fulltable.com/vts/m/map/o...
October 16, 2017
Utterly fascinating, when the absence of evidence is evidence itself.
February 7, 2022
Ereira provides a fantastic insight into Stuart England intertwined with the incredible life of John Ogilby. Truth in this case is as appealing as fiction.
November 5, 2023
... enjoyable and informative read, although I think the author may be trying too hard with his hypothesis.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews