British Library | Fantasy Worlds: A Day of Talks - Fantasy Maps @britishlibrary | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 7 hours ago.
This event took place on 9 December 2023. The information below is correct as of the publication date.
We always talk about reading maps, and as lines on a page and, as two-dimensional depictions of a three-dimensional world, they can only ever offer us a representation of reality. But what of maps of fictional or even fantastical places? Why are fantasy writers from J.R.R. Tolkien to George R. R. Martin, in particular, so drawn to cartography? What do these fabulous charts add to the story? When did it all begin? How close do they map onto the timeless worlds they illustrate? Where does the line lie between truth and fiction in the weird and wonderful landscapes of gamers, ancient and modern? Our panel will help unravel the mystery of fantastical maps in conversation with the author Travis Elborough.
Described by The Guardian as ‘one of the country’s finest pop culture historians’, Travis Elborough has been a freelance author, broadcaster and cultural commentator for over two decades now. Elborough’s books include Through the Looking Glasses: The Spectacular Life of Spectacles and Atlas of Vanishing Places, winner of Edward Stanford Travel Book Award in 2020.
This event accompanied the British Library exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, supported by Wayland Games and Unwin Charitable Trust.
This event took place on 9 December 2023. The information below is correct as of the publication date.
We always talk about reading maps, and as lines on a page and, as two-dimensional depictions of a three-dimensional world, they can only ever offer us a representation of reality. But what of maps of fictional or even fantastical places? Why are fantasy writers from J.R.R. Tolkien to George R. R. Martin, in particular, so drawn to cartography? What do these fabulous charts add to the story? When did it all begin? How close do they map onto the timeless worlds they illustrate? Where does the line lie between truth and fiction in the weird and wonderful landscapes of gamers, ancient and modern? Our panel will help unravel the mystery of fantastical maps in conversation with the author Travis Elborough.
Described by The Guardian as ‘one of the country’s finest pop culture historians’, Travis Elborough has been a freelance author, broadcaster and cultural commentator for over two decades now. Elborough’s books include Through the Looking Glasses: The Spectacular Life of Spectacles and Atlas of Vanishing Places, winner of Edward Stanford Travel Book Award in 2020.
This event accompanied the British Library exhibition Fantasy: Realms of Imagination, supported by Wayland Games and Unwin Charitable Trust.
