The Lure of the Atlas

 When contemplating a trip, I always go to “my maps”. They come in many shapes, sizes and styles. During a recent attempt to bring a bit more organization to my bookshelves, I came across the shelves dealing with maps; books about maps, books which incorporate them in their story lines and books with maps on their pages and on their covers. There were also a group of atlases.

    Atlas, Greek Mythology says that he was a Titan who was punished by the gods for fighting against them. His punishment was to stand on the western edge of the world and hold the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. Along with being a strong man he was also wise and is considered in some texts as the “founder” of astronomy.

    His name became synonymous as a collection of maps or charts after the publication of a book of maps in 1595, made by Geradus Mercator. Published after his death, the volume had a picture of Atlas on it and before long the name atlas became a term to identify a bound collection of maps, books which help us navigate and understand our world. Mercator was important in the map game also, but that story will have to wait until another day.

    Looking around my shelves, I realized that I have quite a collection of atlases. I have some made for children, there are some older ones, (though not really worth much except to me) a few historic reproductions, there are atlases of the stars and even a couple that are atlases of the human body. How is it possible for a person who loves maps, not to have at least one (or two) atlases?

    In my car is an old worn Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer of Pennsylvania. It is over 15 years old, notes are scribbled on its edges and places we’ve visited are circled. A few routes are highlighted. The pages are falling out of it yet I still keep it close at hand.

    I love my Gazetteers, I have a variety of them for the surrounding states. Along with the one in the car, I have two other Pennsylvania Gazetteers, one for the upstairs and one for the downstairs. They are in much better shape than the one in the car and, yes, I use them both frequently! The gazetteer I have of Alaska isn’t used that much but every once in a while…I get it out to just page through it and daydream.

    There are a couple other atlases in my car, one of Pittsburgh and one of the United States. Being a map fiend, dare I say “mapaholic”, there is also a collection of folded paper maps in the pocket behind the passenger seat.

    GPS, no, I rarely use one for driving, only for geocaching. The paper maps work just fine! But, in essence, the GPS is an atlas also. It is a collection of maps which help us through our world. I don’t often use a GPS to help me with my driving but I do use another internet service, Google Maps. I often use this to see where the various turns I need to make are. Using the satellite view I can see what my turns will look like, what buildings or businesses are near-by. Using the street view gives me an idea of what I’ll be seeing before I need to make the turn. I can pick out landmarks to help me prepare for what’s ahead. This isn’t full proof, as this Thursday’s trip proved. (inside joke!)

    Going out to observe the night’s sky, I will pull out some of my star atlases.  Using these helps me to plan the night’s activities, giving me an idea of what’s visible in the sky that night. Whenever a comet is visible in our skies, or if one has just been discovered I will drag out the sky charts to see where it is. To name a couple of the volumes I have, there is the children’s book The Stars, by H.A. Ray, an atlas made with simple sketches. There is also Norton’s Star Atlas and Reference Handbook that I have been using since I first got involved with astronomy. A Bright Star Atlas by Terion and Skiff helps out when I need some quick and easy charts and the Uranametria for when I need a bit more detail.

    Once again, in our modern times, this can be done on your computer or cell phone but I still like seeing it on paper. Pointing your phone at the sky doesn’t help you become familiar with the constellations and stars, to me, it’s just a nice shortcut. I often add notes and dates for various things I’ve seen, marring my books but adding a bit of history to them.

    I have some older atlases including a 1927 Literary Digest, Atlas of the World and Gazetteer. It is filled with hard to read maps with city names squeezed into the states and countries. Using this to get from here to there would be next to impossible!  A Maury’s New Elements Geography (Pennsylvania Edition) from 1913 is fun to read. Published as a geography book it can still be used as an atlas. Along with the maps of the world and the U.S. states, it is filled with information about the various countries and states. Granted, the facts are a bit out of date but that is one of the things which make it fun to browse through. 

    My worn copy of a 1917 Complete Handy Atlas of the World is a small paperbound book that I found under a pile of magazines at a yard sale. It feels as if it has been used thousands of times throughout its life. Small and compact but still used a lot!

    In the back room I have a huge atlas; it is too big to fit on any of my shelves. Measuring 12” x 18” The Times Atlas of the World, Comprehensive Edition is also outdated. Printed in 1967, it is now a bit more than just a collection of maps and charts, it is also a collection of history! The populations of the countries have changed, as have the world’s inhabitants. The crops grown and the products manufactured are often different and many of the names of countries have changed. Due to the heftiness of this book you have to be a bit of an Atlas yourself to enjoy it!

    Well, enough about these, it’s time to get back to the dusting and organizing of my shelves, who knows what other atlases I might find in the process… today or in the future!