A beautifully illustrated book . . . The Library of Lost Maps collects and presents some of the great maps of the past for leisurely perusal. Readers needn't travel down dusty corridors or through mysterious doors to find them. Although that does sound like fun.

The Wall Street Journal

[An] exquisite volume . . . Cheshire not only shares his joy at digging through the archives, but also astutely charts how maps offer a new angle on historical events . . . It amounts to an enlightening and lovingly presented tribute to the necessity and wonder of libraries and archives.

Publishers Weekly, starred review

[A] handsomely illustrated study of mapmaking . . . [Cheshire] is an infectious guide, tracing how maps evolved from hand-tinted curiosities to instruments of science, propaganda, and power . . . A concise and engrossing study of cartographers' urge to make the world behave.

Kirkus Reviews

Cheshire takes the reader on an inherently fascinating tour through a forgotten collection of maps that shaped the last 200+ years of Western history . . . Unique, special, instructive.

Midwest Book Review

Dozens of nineteenth- and twentieth-century reproductions showcase the inventive graphics and obsessive attention to detail of pre-digital cartographers. Equally impressive are the stories Cheshire tells.

Natural History Magazine

Cheshire describes how early map printing involved making plates from meticulously hand-drawn maps, then etching them before they were individually printed. In addition to maps, Cheshire introduces the creators of early maps and the impact of their work.

Manhattan Book Review