What constitutes a city map, and what is it for? The two most familiar maps of London both originated in the 1930s: the diagrammatic Tube map devised by Harry Beck in 1933, and the pocket A-Z invented by Phyllis Pearsall in 1935. They are essential aids for Londoners and visitors attempting to navigate the metropolis, and most other large cities have their equivalents.

But city maps are almost as old as the city itself – and for much of history, they were not designed to help people find their way around. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, few cities were large enough to make that necessary. Despite its accuracy, the great marble map that hung in the Forum in Rome was not intended as a guide for visitors (they would have had to climb a ladder to read its upper portions) but to proclaim the imperial city’s prosperity and power.

From the clay tablets of the Babylonians to the latest satellite images, city maps have served a multiplicity of functions. They may come into existence as the work of surveyors and town planners before the actual cities they depict; they may delineate property ownership, express civic pride, or entertain the armchair traveller.

The first systematic collection of views of the world’s cities was Antoine du Pinet's
 Plantz, pourtraitz et descriptions de plusieurs villes, printed in Lyon in 1563, using woodcuts to ‘show exclusively to the eye, in as lifelike a way as possible, the form, the position, the outskirts of the place’. Born in Besançon in 1515, du Pinet was a French Protestant pastor, an editor of Calvin, the author of a popular herbarium and translator of Pliny.More...

Author: Gregor Swiderek

I haven't been in the US for more than half a year and I'm not going for another few months. But I'm not wasting my time. Instead I'm preparing another awesome trip for the autumn. At this stage I spend a lot of my free time studying maps thinking about future road-trips.

So, maps: let me share some thoughts about the subject.

Obviously everyone is aware of Google maps. This is great tool for route planning. It calculates distances, driving times and lets you look at street level (useful when you are trying to work out how to exit unfamiliar airport parking or drive to a small motel hidden down a side street). But as much as I like Google, its mapping has some obvious limitations.

Probably the most important is the lack of contour lines or other topographic information. You really can't work out how steep the road is or sometimes even if the terrain is flat or hilly. For that you need some proper topographic maps.

This is where the USGS comes in, which stands for the United States Geological Survey. Created by an act of congress in 1879 it is the agency of the United States government which studies landscape, geology, natural resources and natural hazards. It is like joining the Ordinance Survey and British Geological Survey into one agency and then throwing in a few more bits and pieces.More...

Still need to find a gift for your Dad? Don't panic - just pop into our London or Bristol stores today or tomorrow! Maggie Murphy has gathered some great gifts to inspire you....

The Adventurer:

From Left: Bronze Pocket Compass (£14.99); Ultimate Adventures: A Rough Guide to Adventure Travel (£16.99); Travelogue Journal (£14.99); Victorinox Swiss Army Card (£19.99)More...

Maggie Murphy shares her tips on visiting the many must-see historical sites of Normandy in France.

Normandy, in the northwestern corner of France, is well known to some for the natural beauty of its beaches, friendly locals and delicious crêpes and Camembert. To others, Normandy represents a pivotal moment in the story of World War II. Today, I want to share some of my favorite WWII locations and monuments in Normandy.

Travel to Normandy from Paris is fairly simple on trains from St. Lazare that go directly to Caen Central Station and Bayeux. Depending on which area you are more interested in exploring, the journey takes about 2-3 hours. Alternatively, the UK also has plenty of ferry routes that go to Normandy. I travelled with a guide, but you can just as easily travel alone as there are buses that travel from Caen to almost all of these historic sites. Check the timetables when you arrive, as the buses run infrequently.

My first stop is the Caen-Normandy Memorial Centre for History and Peace. The centre is beautiful and offers in-depth background on the causes of WWII and insight into the lives of the French people during wartime. I enjoyed the first room of the museum. Set on a downward spiral ramp, it explains the lead-up to the war.

My next stop is one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited: the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. This cemetery, located on cliffs that overlook Omaha Beach, is the final resting place for more than 9,000 U.S. troops, most of whom lost their lives during the D-day landing. The white marble gravestones are striking against the background of the bright green lawn. The Garden of the Missing, a stone monument with the names of soldiers who went missing in action, is also a humbling sight. There is no way to describe the feeling that overtakes you in this place; you must go and experience it for yourself.More...

Stanfords is delighted to be the Official Bookseller at the Travel Festival, taking place at London´s Kings Place on 22nd and 23rd June 2013.

We have 3 pairs of tickets to giveaway to see Martin Rowson discuss his new book on Sunday, 23 June 2013 at 3.30pm. 

After a car accident, Dr Gulliver, Oxfam's 'mutilations strategy' manager finds himself in Lilliput, now ruled by a beaming, Blair-like dictator and populated by shoppers and censors.

And this is just the beginning!

The Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson tells us the story of his new book, an 'adapted and updated' version of Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, and explains where it sits in the tradition of satire.More...

In the final post of her blog series on India, Isobel Wilson Cleary talk of the many perks of volunteering abroad.

All those places you want to go? There’s a very good chance you’ll be able to find a volunteer opportunity to suit you.  Before I heard about Development in Action and Deep Griha Society, I’d never really thought about going to India. Now, I’m thinking of ways I can go back both to visit DGS and to all the places I didn’t get a chance to see!

No experience necessary

There is no specific skill set for volunteering. The most important skill to have is enthusiasm.  Sure, DGS encourage specific skills to help with current projects that need technical skills they can’t find or afford locally, but with several programmes covering a range of awareness and education issues, I found there wasn’t much that couldn’t be put to good use one way or another if you’re willing.  As a volunteer there is a certain level of faith people put in you, value is placed on your opinions and you’re encouraged to use your creative skills to suggest new ideas. At times this can be a little worrying as you’re not necessarily more qualified than the staff themselves, but it’s also quite exciting to brainstorm ideas and you can’t help but feel like the world is your oyster.

The challenge

Moving somewhere new whether it’s to the next city or a thousand miles away is always going to be a challenge but there’s definitely a lot more to get your head around when you have to breach that language barrier, navigate through new social norms, (I miss eating with my hands!) and the big one.... Adjust to the difficult situations and realities the people you work with face everyday that are largely, not something you can relate to. You can’t change things overnight or even in a few months but you can contribute to the continued and sustained work local people are doing in these areas to help empower and build awareness in whatever area you’re working in. And let’s not forget, in spite of these difficulties...More...

Maggie Murphy  shares with us her personal must-sees in the fabulous city of Paris.

Gertrude Stein once said, “America is my country, but Paris is my home town.” Having spent almost five months in the City of Lights, I understand her sentiment. Paris is the type of place that stays with you, whether you spend 10 minutes or 10 months there. In this, my first blog post, I am sharing my favorite walk through the city in the hope that it may inspire you to visit Paris. This stroll does not contain all the world-famous landmarks; instead, I think it shares a more personal view of the city …  my view. I have laid out this walk in a Google map, which can be found at the bottom of this post.

Begin at the Panthéon in the 5^th arrondissement. It opens at 10 a.m., but you don't even have to go inside to marvel at it. It was said that designer Jacques-Germain Soufflot had designed the "perfect" structure. However, he died in the middle of construction, so the building will forever remain unperfected. I love this area in the morning, with all of the students bustling around in front of the massive white stone structures. I usually grab a coffee from one of the numerous cafes down rue Soufflot and proceed into Luxemburg Gardens.

Luxemburg Gardens is, for me, the most beautiful park in Paris. Parisians escape from the city, lounging here with friends in green chairs underneath the park’s trees. Make your way through the park and exit to rue Bonaparte, heading to Boulevard Saint-Germain. This historic intersection hosts some of the most famous cafés and brasseries in Paris, including Café de Flore, Brasserie Lipp and Les Deux Magots just down the street. This neighborhood has always been a hub for creative people and is now a very posh part of the city. Walking straight through toward the Seine River, you will come across one my favorite places in the city: Ladurée More...

Stanfords is delighted to be the Official Bookseller at the Travel Festival, taking place at London´s Kings Place on 22nd and 23rd June 2013.

We have 3 pairs of tickets to giveaway to see David Hewson, Barbara Nadel & Michael Ridpath discuss crime writing on Sunday, 23 June 2013 at 6.30pm. 

Why are we so attracted by foreign crime, whether under the blazing Mediterranean sun or in frosty Nordic countries?

What do we discover about those places when we see them through the eyes of a local detective?

David Hewson is best known for his Nic Costabooks set in contemporary Rome. He is also the author of The Killing, a book hailed by The Telegraph as even better than the original Danish TV series. 

Barbara Nadel loves Istanbul and her shabby, middle-aged cop, Çetin Ikmen, is equally popular among English and Turkish readers.

Michael Ridpath’s series Fire and Ice is set in Iceland and has been translated into 20 languages, including Icelandic.

Chaired by Barry Forshaw. In association with the Crime Writers Association.

To be in with a chance to win simply enter your details in the form below:More...

We are very excited to announce our participation in ‘Gromit Unleashed’, a public art exhibition going on this summer in Bristol. Stanfords’ Bristol store will be home to one of the individually designed 5ft tall recreations of the beloved character Gromit during the exhibition from 1^st of July until 8^th of September 2013.

This Gromit will be one of eighty pieces that make up the trail celebrating landmarks in Bristol. All proceeds from the event will go to Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal to benefit the Bristol Children’s Hospital.

We will be revealing the Stanfords Gromit in just a few weeks time – be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all our latest Gromit news!More...

Stanfords is delighted to be the Official Bookseller at the Travel Festival, taking place at London´s Kings Place on 22nd and 23rd June 2013.

We have 3 pairs of tickets to giveaway to see Atul Kochhar talk on Sunday, 23 June 2013 at 12.30pm. 

Award-winning, Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar explores curries of the world, looking to his native India and further afield to Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and even the UK. 

His unique talent as a twice Michelin Starred Chef has changed the way people perceive and experience Indian food. Atul was the very first Indian Chef to receive a Michelin Star during his time at Tamarind. He then went on to create the world renowned Benares Restaurant where his creative talents did not go unmissed and he went on to win his second Michelin Star in 2007.More...