Maps and the Birth of America: Charting a New Continent

Before photography, film, and television opened the world, printed and hand-colored maps brought home the thrill of undiscovered lands and the possibilities of exploration. Over the centuries, maps of America changed from exotic curiosa and cherished art objects to vital instruments in the growing conflicts on the continent.

In a richly illustrated program, Neal Asbury and Jean-Pierre Isbouts, co-authors of the new book Mapping America, trace the critical role that maps played in battles including those of the French and Indian War, and examine how British strategy during the Revolutionary War became entirely dependent on hastily engraved (and often flawed) charts of geographical features and enemy dispositions in the territories in which they fought.

Asbury is one of the nation’s foremost connoisseurs and collectors of maps of America, from the Renaissance to the 18th century. Isbouts is an art historian specializing in the Renaissance and a bestselling National Geographic author.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of Mapping America: The Incredible Story and Stunning Hand-Colored Maps and Engravings That Created the United States (Hardcover) by Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Neal Asbury here.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” section on Politics and Prose's check-out page.

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