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63 cartographic perspectives Number 43, Fall 2002 knew the worth of the map all too well, and that is precisely why they robbed him of it. Smith had begun socializing with the elite of London, with a group that called themselves the Geologi- cal Society of London, but he did not recognize their motives for dealing with him. At its founding the Geological Society held the belief that "the theory of geology is in the possession of one class of men and the practice in another" (p.228). To the Society, Smith's field-worn hands clearly gave him the mark of the practicing class. A man of the practicing class could not be trusted to produce a map of such importance, and the Society would not accept Smith's brilliant map. Rather, they began produc- ing their own map, which when produced was strikingly similar to Smith's. Smith knew he had been plagiarized, but by this time he was penniless, and imprisoned. It is no wonder that when let out of the debtor 's prison by the few sales of the map he did have, he left London in disgust. Unlike many historical figures, Smith was lucky enough to stick around long enough to see his work appreciated. Young scien- tists inspired by Smith had ousted the elite of the Geological Society and called Smith out of retirement to accept the accolades due to him. He was awarded the Wollas- ton Medal (the Nobel Prize equiv- alent for geology), given a royal pension, and granted an honorary doctoral degree. Smith's work had shaken the foundations of Brit- ish society and amid the rubble, Smith and his work stood tall. The map was now the foundation of a science and a new paradigme that would inspire Darwin and others. My account of the story fails to include the anecdotes and his- torical narrative that Winchester provides. His writing brings life to this great story of a visionary man and the timelessness of one map. As he tells us in a footnote, his story is directed toward the reader who needs no knowledge of Smith, geology, or cartography. Other, more exhaustive works are available, and Winchester even provides a suggested read- ing list for those inspired to learn more about William Smith and the birth of modern geology. Winchester succeeds admirably in writing this book towards his general audience, it is a delight to read, and completely readable in the course of a trans-continental journey to a conference. While the reader is sure to take away scores of facts and bits of knowledge, the book reads like a favorite novel. I admire Winchester as a writer, his work succeeds in being academic, yet his presentation is cherished by a general audience. Moreover, The Map that Changed the World is a singular work from Winchester 's library. Winchester himself was trained as a geolo- gist at Oxford and claims William Smith as his hero. This personal connection shines through in the book, adding another level of enjoyment above all his books. In one interlude of the book, we follow Winchester as he retraces his hero's footsteps and discover- ies of the geographic distribution of Jurassic rocks. The interlude is a microcosm of what makes this book special, it reads like a delightful travelogue, following our native guide past his youthful stomping grounds. Yet somehow, in the course of splashing through waves on the English channel, or chipping a stone off a cliff in blus- tery Lincolnshire the reader learns the foundations and complexities of geology. While I highly recommend this book to anyone, geologists, geographers, cartographers, and scientists in general will find it a delightful and relaxing read. As an added bonus for cartophiles like myself, the hardcover version which I reviewed contains a full color 23"x27" replica of Smith's great map folded up into the dust jacket. Even without Winchester 's lovely narrative, the map is a cartographic wonder and his- torical treasure. The hand applied colors, shading, annotation, and calligraphy of the cartographer himself make this map a trea- sure to be held as a piece of art. However, cartography is an art and a science. The greatest praise for Winchester 's book is that it succeeds admirably in describing the science, and the scientist that produced such a singular and his- torically important cartographic work.

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