Overview

Ptolemy's Geography, the only book on cartography to have survived from the classical period, is one of the most influential scientific works of all time. Written in the second century A.D., for more than fifteen centuries it was the most detailed topography of Europe and Asia available and the best reference on how to gather data and draw maps. Here, Berggren and Jones render an exemplary translation of the Geography and provide a thorough introduction, which treats the historical and technical background of Ptolemy's work, the contents of the Geography, and the later history of the work. Also included here are unique color reproductions of maps from manuscripts and early printed editions of the text, representative of the beautiful and practical cartographic artistry that flowed from Ptolemy's work. Historians of science, classicists, and anyone who enjoys beautiful maps or mapmaking will find this work an indispensable addition to their library.

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9780691092591

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"""A superlative new translation... In Berggren and Jones [Ptolemy] has, at long last, found his ideal exponents.""--Peter Green, London Review of Books ""Arguably, [Ptolemy's Geography] has been the most lastingly influential of all works in the earth sciences... This is a most useful volume, destined to be a primary source for classical scholars as well as for historians of science.""--William A.S. Sarjeant, Earth Sciences History ""By allowing us to hear in English the voice of one who was both the chief cartographer of the Greek world and the inspiration for the fifteenth-century cartographic revolution, Berggren and Jones have masterfully met a long-felt need.""--Robert W. Karrow, Jr., Technology and Culture ""Until now there has been no reliable translation of the Geography in English. Berggren and Jones have triumphantly filled that lack for the crucial portion of the work, the portion in which Ptolemy speaks as scientific geographer.""--Lionel Casson, Classical Bulletin"

A superlative new translation... In Berggren and Jones [Ptolemy] has, at long last, found his ideal exponents. -- Peter Green London Review of Books Arguably, [Ptolemy's Geography] has been the most lastingly influential of all works in the earth sciences... This is a most useful volume, destined to be a primary source for classical scholars as well as for historians of science. -- William A.S. Sarjeant Earth Sciences History By allowing us to hear in English the voice of one who was both the chief cartographer of the Greek world and the inspiration for the fifteenth-century cartographic revolution, Berggren and Jones have masterfully met a long-felt need. -- Robert W. Karrow, Jr. Technology and Culture Until now there has been no reliable translation of the Geography in English. Berggren and Jones have triumphantly filled that lack for the crucial portion of the work, the portion in which Ptolemy speaks as scientific geographer. -- Lionel Casson Classical Bulletin

Author Information

J. Lennart Berggren is Professor of Mathematics at Simon Fraser University and twice president of the Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics. His previous books include Episodes in the Mathematics of Medieval Islam, and Pi: A Source Book. Alexander Jones is Professor of Classics and of the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Toronto. He studies the history of the exact sciences in antiquity. He is the author of Pappus of Alexandria: Book 7 of the Collection and Astronomical Papyri from Oxyrhynchus.

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