The Social Life of Maps in America, 1750-1860

In the age of MapQuest and GPS, we take cartographic literacy for granted. We should not; the ability to find meaning in maps is the fruit of a long process of exposure and instruction. A “carto-coded” America — a nation in which maps are pervasive and meaningful — had to be created. The Social Life of Maps tracks American cartography’s spectacular rise to its unprecedented cultural influence.

Between 1750 and 1860, maps did more than communicate geographic information and political pretensi...