AuthaGraph World Maps. 40 'AuthaGraph' world maps in one. A new world map reengineered to represent the true relative sizes of continents & seas. GOOD DESIGN AWARD in Japan

A few months ago my fiancee and I learned about the Authagraph map invented by Japanese architect Hajime Narukawa. The map is hailed by many as the most accurate projection of the Earth. We were so excited about this map that we keep talking about it to friends and family!I decided to buy the map as a Christmas gift to my fiancee (and myself, lol). Besides the great experience I had with the seller I bought it from (Alexcious), this map was an awesome purchase! I included pictures of how it arrived from the seller, but in short, it was very well shipped with several layers of protection.Now for the product itself. The map is as described. Dimensions are as expected and the photo provided is true to the product. Colors are well-printed and the informational text in the bottom are both displayed in Japanese and English. For some reason I imagined the paper to be the glossy type (like most other maps), but the map is actually made of relatively sturdy paper stock and I actually prefer it! I imagine if you want to write on it in pencil it would work pretty well, and the map does not seem to be as prone to wrinkles as glossy paper would be. I think this is also why I had such a hard time putting it back in the cylinder after flattening it out--it keeps its shape pretty well which is good. (So I suggest you don't take it out if you intend to give this as a gift!)The 40-maps product is not meant to show you the different countries (if you want that, I would suggest the one-map version), but instead is meant to show you the versatility of the Authagraph. The tessellated design is meant to provide the viewer with different ways to look at the Earth and can even begin to explain why flying from one city to the other involves going over countries you never thought would make sense.Overall--I would highly recommend!