If you enjoy maps fiction and nonfictional this is the book for you. If not, you may find it a bit boring as there are pages and pages diving deep into different worlds and how maps have shaped them.

The Writer's Map by Hue Lewis-Jones was interesting enough while I was reading but ultimately mostly forgettable and I skim read most of it. I do want to give this book another try when I'm not in a reading slump though.

Thank you to Hue Lewis-Jones, University of Chicago Press, and NetGalley for allowing me the extreme pleasure of access to an advanced reader copy of “The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands” for an honest review.

I absolutely had to jump at the chance to request and review this book at the first glance of its title and synopsis. What could be better than a book of all the maps, both given to us, and inspired by, our favorite literary worlds? I was enamored from its first hint of existence, which made the experience transcendent once I received my copy.

The pictures are gorgeous, colored copies, laid out well against the places they've come from (text of novels, and poems, and epics, and on). There are reflections by those still writing now (about their past, present, and current worlds) who were included, as well as pieces from earlier decades and writers who penned our favorite universes, and who gave birth to our dreams and nightmares.

I recommend this to all people who love the magical lands we've traversed in our writing, and long to touch, just for a second, those worlds we've crossed and recrossed.

This is a fascinating book that takes a closer look at many worlds/lands within popular literature. Readers will get a first-hand look at the history, imagination, and inspiration of the lands that authors such as Phillip Pullman, Robert Louis Stevenson, and many others created. The concept of this book is wildly creative and will fascinate readers of many ages.

This book is so cool. If you've perused a fictional map in one of your favorite novels, this is something you need to check out. Lewis-Jones pulls together a collection of maps from some of the world's greatest stories and shares how they are created and why they help us get lost in these tales. From the most popular of maps like J.M. Barrie's Neverland and C.S. Lewis' Narnia, to various treasure islands and the routes of Viking excursions, he not only shows the published products but also introduces the sketches from his own journal. I particularly enjoyed his look at the middle earth maps from The Lord of the Rings. This is a book I will hang on to and treasure for a long time to come. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was a meticulously researched book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It brought up every map of every fictional (and nonfictional!) world I could ever think of. Highly informational while still fun to read. If you have any interests in maps whatsoever I would recommend this book, or if you just want to learn a bit more about other worlds, just dive into this book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Not my cup of tea, really.

Has a bunch of maps and then passages that go on forever talking about nothing, except espousing virtues of maps and how maps enhance the human experience.

You'll get tired pretty fast.

What a fascinating book! A comprehensive look at literary maps, from how they're made to how they inspire the imagination. A very interesting read, with various authors writing about the books and maps that influenced their work, how making maps while they wrote helped shape their stories, how much a map can enhance a story, giving it more weight. Think about it- doesn't a good map in a book help you visualize the journey? Doesn't it make the story feel that much more real? This book is filled with beautiful illustrations, many are real world maps that provided inspiration for literary maps. Combined with the text, this makes a perfect book to get lost in!
I received an e-book copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review; honestly, I can hardly wait to get a physical copy of this book!

A fantastic collection of essays on mapmaking and fictional worlds - a definite must if you're an aspiring writer / worldbuilder, or just a map enthusiast.

This is an interesting book, and I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. I love a map that accompanies a good novel, and this book is an intriguing insight into the world of literary maps. It's one of those books that would be worth every cent in the physical form. This would make a great gift for any word-nerd in your life who enjoys maps.

Included this title in the newspaper's seasonal Holiday gift books guide in the section for bibliophiles.

Goodreads Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.

A love letter to literary maps, written by 24 writers and illustrators. Each brief essay gives the reader a glimpse into the author’s childhood, creative process, what maps they’ve found to be most influential on their careers as illustrators of maps or authors of books with maps (and oftentimes, both). The essays are complemented by many photos of a variety of maps, ranging from historical atlases to drafts of worlds (including original drafts of Narnia and Mordor) to the final elaborate endpaper maps.

Each essay focuses on the author’s personal experience with maps and adventure, and how they morphed that into their creative employment of today. Some focus more on their present works, detailing their processes of how they start mapping before they write (or sometimes the other way round), while others detail their journey through maps of childhood, whether mapping their childhood explorations or losing themselves in the endpaper maps of a kids book.

Even if some of the essayist’s names don’t immediately sound familiar, after reading their essays (or their bios), you’ll realize you’ve likely been familiar with their work for quite some time. Although many of their journeys and observations are similar, they each have their own path that brought them to their love of maps today–much like a map itself.

While I was hoping for a bit more of a historical bent to the book, rather than personal essays, I still enjoyed the journey through multitudes of worlds and maps, and was introduced to a few new books and maps along the way (most influential find: “An ancient mappe of Fairyland” from Bernard Sleigh).

When you read a book, your imagination creates a world, town or land. How wonderful it is for the author to share their vision of the book’s world, town or land.

In The Writer’s Map, the author explores beautiful maps from great literary books. The Hundred Acre Woods comes to life. The land of the Wizard of Oz is laid out for all to see.

My favorites are the map for Peter Pan by Miraphora Mina and the ‘Peter Pan Map of Kensington Gardens’ commissioned by The Underground Railroad Electric Railways Company in 1923. The author quotes J.M. Barrie “The Neverland is the map of a child’s mind.” The second being drawn for people to explore while waiting for a train. Many of the maps contained in this book have similar fun stories or facts.

If you enjoy maps, you must read this book. The maps are brilliant and the colors are rich.

I received an eBook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion or ratings of this book.

Absolute pleasure and joy to read this book! I love maps, real and imaginary, and made many when I was growing up. I even created them for my daughter when she was small to enhance Santa letters from the North Pole! This book was a pure pleasure that I can't wait to purchase (I only have a Kindle and it does not do it justice.) I can't wait to get better looks at the maps! But the book it self a wonder! All about the various maps, the inspirations that inspired them, the authors that drew them, so much wonderful info even map lovers will enjoy them. Great book!

Ever since I was a child and to this day, I have been always overjoyed upon seeing a map in a book. I thoroughly enjoyed going through the facts and rationale of the maps, both familiar and unfamiliar, included in this book. I'm impressed by the author's extensive research regarding the usage of maps in fiction and the coverage almost all prominent works of fiction that have included a map. This book is definitely going to make way to my coffee table! Thank you Net Galley and U. Chicago Press for providing the electronic ARC of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hue Lewis-Jones for allowing me to read and review The Writer's Map. I really enjoyed this book. I'm a big fan of maps in novels, so this was really enlightening.

"I think I am quite ready for another adventure..." ~Lord of the Rings

Are you ready for a grand adventure? Then you need this book! From history to our favorite books, the maps are brought to life with stunning clarity. Not only are we getting fabulous photos, but the stories behind the maps! I have got to buy a copy of this, as the photos on the Kindle do not do the work justice. I was amazed at what I learned through this book! As an avid reader we build the ideas in our heads of what maps should look like, but to have them on paper, just brought home the fabulous works!

Get this on your MUST HAVE list! If you have a person in your love who loves maps than this is the perfect Christmas present!

I always love it when books include a map, I like to see how the author imagined their story and follow along. This beautiful book is for people like me! It includes the great lands in literature like Narnia, Westeros, the Hundred Acre Wood, Mordor and Hogwarts, and each chapter includes a particular author and his/her land with stories, descriptions, influences and maps. It's a fantastic companion to great literature.

This would make a fantastic coffee table book that you can open up again and again and get lost in another world.

Thank you NetGalley and University of Chicago Press for an advanced copy of this book.

What a delightful book. Different authors talk about their love of maps and how they’ve used maps in their stories. It will make a great coffee table book as you enjoy looking at the pictures of maps featured on literature. Expect more than a coffee book, though. You’ll want to spend time reading the stories that will increase your love of maps. A great present for Christmas.

In the Venn diagram of common interests for map lovers and bibliophiles, you will find this volume. A gorgeous, imaginative book with essays and discussions of fictional lands, featuring new and old maps and hand-drawn illustrations, it engrossed me from the first page.