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Mapmakers

On sale

1st October 2026

Price: £30

Selected:  Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781399625845

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Ordnance Survey is the home of British mapmaking. Its history dates to 1745, when a twenty-one-year-old engineer was tasked with a small-scale military survey of Scotland.

Mapmakers brings to life this illustrious archive in a beautiful book that tells the story of the changing shape of Britain. These are stories of religion, stories of changing industry, stories of politics and infrastructure, and stories of ourselves – where and why we move around this island, and how we do it. We find disappearing villages, secretive smuggling paths, military plans and the creation of beloved national parks.

The lavish, full-colour volume contains maps from throughout OS’s lifetime as well as specially commissioned graphics showcasing the cutting edge in cartographical technology. Written by award-winning writer, broadcaster and expedition leader Will Millard, this is an unmissable record of how our landscape has changed – and how it might do so in the future.