Bagrow, Leo, History of Cartography, 2nd edition, revised and enlarged with additional maps and illustrations by R.A. Skelton. Chicago: Precedent Publishing, Inc., 1985. ISBN 0-913750-33-6. 27x19cm., 312pp. plus 26 color plates and 132 monochrome plates, cloth. (737 North LaSalle St., Chicago, IL, $64.95)

Little needs to be said about this work, last published by Harvard in 1964.  It is considered the work on early cartography, and has been out of print for quite a while.  Some years ago, I called Harvard University Press to browbeat them into reprinting this work.  They declined, saying that it was simply too expensive to print.  Now, a reprint has finally appeared. The original printer supplied material for the monochrome and color plates.  Mysteriously, some of the material never appeared in the previous edition.  Now the color plates run fittingly from A to Z, rather than A to U, and additional monochrome plates appear.  Also mysterious is Harvard's use of high bulk paper, resulting in a rather thick volume.  Both my copies had shaken bindings. The new publisher wisely used thinner paper.  The price is less than used copies had been selling for, and all collectors and dealers should buy a copy.

David C. Jolly, 1987