The Atlas of Fantasy

The Atlas of Fantasy (1979) by J.B. Post presents maps from fantasy literature, serving as a cartographic reference guide for imaginary worlds. The book contains over 100 maps from works like The Lord of the Rings, Gormenghast, and Narnia. The atlas provides context and analysis for each map, explaining their origins and relationship to their source material. Maps range from medieval-style illustrations to modern geographical representations, covering both well-known and obscure fantasy realms. Post includes technical details about map creation and discusses how authors use geography to build their fictional worlds. The collection features both maps drawn directly by authors and interpretive maps created by cartographers based on textual descriptions. The work stands as a testament to how fantasy authors use physical space and geography to establish the foundations of their storytelling. Through its cataloging of imagined lands, the atlas reveals patterns in how writers conceptualize and structure their invented worlds.

Readers value this book as a reference work mapping fictional places from literature and myth. Several collectors note its usefulness for visualizing geographic relationships between locations in fantasy worlds. Readers praised: - Level of detail in the maps - Coverage of both well-known and obscure literary works - Clear organization by region/continent - High-quality reproduction of historical maps Common criticisms: - Maps can feel cluttered and hard to read - Limited coverage of modern fantasy works - Focus skews heavily toward European/Western sources - Some important works omitted From online sources: Amazon: 4.1/5 (12 reviews) "Invaluable reference for understanding spatial relationships in classic fantasy" - Amazon reviewer Goodreads: 3.8/5 (31 ratings) "Needed more coverage of contemporary fantasy worlds" - Goodreads user Limited availability and high prices for used copies are frequently mentioned as barriers to access by potential buyers.

Other Worlds: A Fantasy Art Gallery by Wayne Anderson This art book presents maps and illustrations of imaginary realms from classic fantasy literature with detailed geographical features and mythical locations.

Literary Maps by Nigel Peake A collection of hand-drawn maps depicts the geographic landscapes of both real and fictional places found in literature through history.

The Dictionary of Imaginary Places by Alberto Manguel An encyclopedia compiles entries about fictional locations from myths, stories, and novels with maps and geographical information for each place.

Fantasy World-Building by Mark Nelson A technical guide demonstrates the creation of fantasy maps and geographical systems with examples from published works.

The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands by Huw Lewis-Jones Maps from fantasy and science fiction works reveal how authors construct and visualize their fictional worlds through cartography.

🗺️ Published in 1973, The Atlas of Fantasy was one of the first comprehensive attempts to map fictional places from literature, including lands from Tolkien's Middle-earth, Swift's Lilliput, and Carroll's Wonderland. 📚 Author J.B. Post worked as a map librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia and spent over a decade collecting and researching maps of imaginary places. 🎨 Many of the maps in the atlas were drawn by professional cartographers specifically for the book, while others were reproduced from original literary sources or historical editions. 🌍 The book includes not only maps from fantasy and science fiction but also from allegorical works, such as the 1672 "Map of Tenderness" showing the "Sea of Danger" and "Lake of Indifference" from a French romantic novel. 📖 The atlas sparked a renewed interest in literary cartography and influenced many later fantasy authors to include detailed maps in their works, establishing map-making as a standard feature of the fantasy genre.