Beyond two dimensions : ‘Strange Maps : An atlas of cartographic curiosities’ by Frank Jacobs

It all started with a Belgian boy who had a great curiosity for maps. The curiosity became a passion before moving onwards into a passionate obsession. And, after he felt he had seen all the conventional atlases and traditional maps in the world, he moved on to 'strange maps'. Frank Jacobs also literally moved on (to London), and started to put together a whole new collection of maps. A blog was set up, and now this book has followed.

Exploring the word 'map' leads us to the medieval Latin mappa mundi, meaning 'sheet of the world'. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, 'map' refers to a (generally) flat representation of the Earth's surface, a two-dimensional representation of the stars, a diagrammatic representation of a route, or a diagram showing the arrangement or components of any object. It is clear from the introduction that the author is fed up with the first two categories, his fascination instead highlighting maps that are more diagrammatic, more descriptive, or those that trigger a different perspective. Most of his maps thus go beyond the 'old' categories defined by the Oxford academics, as Jacobs tries to provoke a different way of looking at a variety of subjects through maps – including Himal Southasian's 'upside-down' map of this region. Also, some of the maps go beyond two dimensions, trying 3-D effects and even going into the fourth dimension, by showing changes over time.