Map collection of the Boston Public Library

March 19, 2007 4:50 PM

The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library has 200,000 historic maps and 5,000 atlases. A whole heap of them is online in very high resolution and you can explore the collection by location, subject, date, publisher, author and projection. They give virtual tours, select a map of the month and have a section called Maps in the News, where they profile Darfur and Iraq.
posted by Kattullus (8 comments total)

Thanks. I was looking for a 17th Century map of Ireland earlier today...
posted by Football Bat at 5:15 PM on March 19, 2007

This is really great. I always love looking at polar maps because they give you a really uncommon view of familar land bodies, but with radically different shapes and relationships. In particular the great circle airline routes shown on that one really illustrate the point.
posted by Rhomboid at 6:08 PM on March 19, 2007

Really, really excellent. Thanks.
posted by pwedza at 8:10 PM on March 19, 2007

Off-topic, but related: The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, New York Public Library.

Must not forget The Harvard Map Collection - "America's oldest map collection with over half a million maps, atlases from the 15th century to the present, gazetteers, and reference books on the history and science of cartography."
posted by ericb at 8:57 PM on March 19, 2007

And while we're on the subject, let's not forget The Map Room, the superb map blog of our own mcwetboy.
posted by languagehat at 5:29 AM on March 20, 2007

Thanks, I never knew of this even though I have one of the books they have published.
posted by Gungho at 7:30 AM on March 20, 2007

This is wonderful.
posted by cashman at 7:53 AM on March 20, 2007

The Boston Globe has an article on The Norman B. Leventhal Map Center in today's edition: By Web, a Detailed Look at Our Past.
posted by ericb at 10:55 AM on March 24, 2007