Category: Mad About Maps

All about cartography, a collection of articles on and around maps and mapping.

Mappy Monday – A-Z celebrates 80th Anniversary

They’ve certainly come a long way since founder, Phyllis Pearsall walked the streets of London creating the first A-Z. The company has an amazing history and has been helping people find their way for 80 years, teaching Taxi drivers the Knowledge and more recently, giving people something to colour in.

These London A-Zs are amongst the earliest copies in the company’s possession. The one on the left, from 1938 is one shilling, equivalent to 5 pence today, while the 1953 2/6 edition would have been 12.5 pence
These London A-Zs are amongst the earliest copies in the company’s possession. The one on the left, from 1938 is one shilling, equivalent to 5 pence today, while the 1953 2/6 edition would have been 12.5 pence

We have a particular penchant for A-Z maps here at Stanfords because the lower ground floor in our Long Acre store is in fact a giant A-Z map of London. It’s been the setting of many a shoefie.

Our lower ground floor is great for plotting runs.
Our lower ground floor is great for plotting runs.

 

Happy birthday A-Z. You look great for 80. ????

Read A-Z’s blog post celebrating 80 years of history: az.co.uk/blog

Mappy Monday- Wine Map of Spain & Portugal

No doubt the wine will be flowing in Portugal in celebration of their victory in last night’s Euro 2016.

Oenologists among you may already be familiar with the fabulous wines that Portugal, the eleventh largest wine producing nation has to offer, but if you need some help this Wine Map of Spain and Portugal is a perfect aid. Continue reading Mappy Monday- Wine Map of Spain & Portugal

Mappy Monday – Colormaps

Looking for a different perspective of the world? These Colormaps are something a bit different from the political maps (each country is represented in a different colour) and physical maps (bodies of water, mountains and the contours of the lands surface and other typography are represented) that you usually see on walls. Continue reading Mappy Monday – Colormaps

Mappy Monday- Art Deco London Map

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Art Deco London Map £8.00

This new map from Blue Crow Media features London’s finest Art Deco buildings including lots of Piccadilly line tube stations, Battersea Power Station, Arsenal Stadium, Brockwell Lido, Hoover Building, The Savoy and The Grampians. Continue reading Mappy Monday- Art Deco London Map

Mappy Monday- Alice Tait’s illustrations

Here is an illustrator that certainly puts the ‘art’ in ‘cartography’.  Alice Tait’s drawings have been featured on book covers, in magazine articles and on home products ranging from tea towels to lemon juice. We are especially fond of her London range as it features a beautifully illustrated map of central London capturing some of the most famous streets and landmarks.   Alice told us a bit about herself and her illustrations. Continue reading Mappy Monday- Alice Tait’s illustrations

Mappy Monday- We have this thing with our floors

We are big fans of the popular Instagram account @Ihavethisthingwithfloors where feet meet nice floors around the world.

If you have visited our London store you might have noticed our bespoke floors.

Continue reading Mappy Monday- We have this thing with our floors

May the 4th be with you: Star Wars and Mars Maps

Star Wars street viewToday we will mostly be planning our routes using Star Wars Street View. You can look at the world from inside The Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader’s Tie Fighter or Luke’s X-Wing. Hours of fun!

Continue reading May the 4th be with you: Star Wars and Mars Maps