In 1400 Europe was behind large parts of the world in its understanding ofthe use of maps. For instance, the people of China and of Japan wereconsiderably more advanced in this respect. And yet, by 1600 the Europeans hadcome to use maps for a huge variety of tasks, and were far ahead of the rest ofthe world in their appreciation of the power and use of cartography. TheMapmakers' Quest seeks to understand this development - not only to tease outthe strands of thought and practice which led to the use of maps, but also toassess the ways in which such use affected European societies and economies.Taking as a starting point the question of why there were so few maps in Europein 1400 and so many by 1650, the book explores the reasons for this and itsimplications for European history. It examines, inter al, how mapping andmilitary technology advanced in tandem, how modern states' territories weremapped and borders drawn up, the role of maps in shaping the urban environment,and cartography's links to the new sciences.