How to Lie with Maps (2nd Edition) Paperback – May 1, 1996

Maps are one of hte commonest kind of information graphic. They occur in many forms, in many contexts, and commonly carry more data per square inch than just about any other kind of diagram. Also, a map carries some sense of authority and may even inspire a kind of loyalty - surely you know at least one map fanatic? That carrying capacity and authority can be used badly as easily as used well: incompetently, to make some point at the expense of others, or intentionally to misdirect.The book's first section reminds us that every map contains mis- or missing information - if only because the world is round and the map is flat. Later, Mommonier gives examples of incompetence showing how information, especially in color, can be illegible.He also shows how maps can affect political decisions as close as your own back yard, the maps used to make land planning and zoning decisions. He works up from town hall politics to the international scale, including some remarkable Cold War artifacts. He mentions esthetics only briefly, mostly to point out how the decision to make a map look nice can corrupt its data content. This is a loss since esthetics don't inherently conflict with the message, but good illustrators already know how to create visual appeal and bad ones should not be encouraged.This is a useful addition for anyone who creates or uses information in picture form. It's not as broad as other books, but adds depth to discussions about one particular kind of information graphic. The wide ranging and well categorized bibliography is just an extra.//wiredweird

I have always loved maps. When I saw the entry for "How to Lie with Maps," I imagined that it talked about how well meaning cartographers occasionally conveyed the wrong information to the unsuspecting public.While there is some of that, Mark Monmonier is more "on nose" by pointing out how one can use maps to paint the picture that you want to show.(Please see the enclosed pictures.)Mark is someone that knows his way around a map. He understands the governing bodies, rules, regulations, and common conventions - and, how to use those to get your point across.The first chapters cover the point that all maps are inaccurate, but some convey useful information. The triumvirate of scale, projection, and map symbols must necessarily be somewhat inaccurate. Mark gives the example that if a road was the width shown on the map then it would be a mile wide on the ground.The techniques Mark described in this "Eleven Rules for Polishing ..." apply to almost any graphical medium.I will be a more careful consumer of graphical images in the future.Well done Mark Monmonier!

This was a clear, enjoyable book about the use of white lies, propaganda, subtle manipulation, and other distortions of the truth in map-making. The beginning of the book focuses on the basic fact that all maps, to be effective, need to lie - it is impossible to faithfully project a 3-D world on a flat surface, and it is impossible to record every possible detail of real life onto a map. The book describes basic visual variables and the common generalizations (smoothing, selection, displacement, etc.) that are necessary to make a functional map. The rest of the book describes a variety of different ways that maps can distort the truth - honest mistakes, propaganda, deliberate disinformation, and even variations in data aggregation. A map is not a neutral document, but rather an argument, produced by an author for an audience - this book is a guide to help map-users navigate this reality.I liked this book, but I did not love it. As many reviewers have noted, the book is massively out-of-date. The University of Chicago is threatening to publish a new version "for the digital age" later in 2018 - I am curious to see if that version is actually better. In addition, I wished that the author spent more time exploring the rhetoric and ideology of map-making. While he touched on the topic, I think a deep exploration of historical and contemporary maps would have been fascinating - what do maps say about how people view the world, about their values, about what they view as significant and insignificant? I also think the book would be improved by exploring non-Western maps and mapmaking traditions.

I originally bought this just because I was interested in the topic. Later, after I entered a graduate program in GIST, the book turned out to be commonly referenced in the classes. Very easy read and great information about how to properly read maps and graphics we are so often presented.The book will inform you on how to intelligently evaluate graphics (not just maps) to spot both intentional and unintentional misrepresentations of information.

It's very well-written! The author clearly explains difficult concepts! It is a book I have referred to often, with my GIS courses. I highly recommend it!!

good book. easy to read.full of interesting approaches on how maps are made to a specific purpose more than it's geographic original functions.

A classic.

„How to Lie with Maps“ gibt den Leser einen Einblick über die Möglichkeiten Karten so zu manipulieren, dass der Benutzer diese zunächst zum Vorteil der Kartenmacher interpretiert.Die Intention des Autoren ist allerdings nicht dazu gedacht hinterlistigen Kartographen Tipps zu verraten. Das Ziel ist vielmehr die Nutzer von Karten für die Thematik der Manipulation von Karten zu sensibilisieren.Gegliedert ist das Buch in 12 Kapitel, die verschiedene Möglichkeiten und „Einsatzfelder“ beschreiben. Zu Beginn erhält der Leser eine Einführung in kartographische Elemente (Maßstab, Projektionen). In den weiteren Kapiteln befasst sich der Autor mit verschiedenen Schwerpunkten (Generalisierung, Farbeneinsatz, Nutzen von manipulierten Karten für Propagandazwecke, usw.). Der Autor bietet dabei zahlreiche Fallbeispiele.Zu den Schwächen dieses Buches gehört für mich, als nicht Englisch-Muttersprachler, der teils schwierige Satzbau (weil lang und verschachtelt).Insgesamt gesehen ist es dennoch ein gut zu lesendes Buch, dass viele interessante Einblicke in die Welt der Kartographie gibt.

J'ai dû lire ce livre dans un cours de géographie universitaire, il est intéressant de voir à quel point nous remettons très peu en question les cartes que nous voyons.Ce livre démontre clairement à l'aide d'images et d'exemples concrets à quel point il est facile de faire mentir les cartes.------I had to read this book in a course of academic geography, it is interesting to see how we do not question the very few maps that we see.This book clearly demonstrates with pictures and examples of how easy it is to lie with maps