Stanfords Blog

Map of the Month: David Bowie’s London

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring” – David Bowie

Our Map of the Month for March 2025 is David Bowie’s London by Herb Lester Associates, written by Paul Gorman, design & illustration by Kit Russell.

This meticulously researched guide reveals the streets, studios, and secret spaces that shaped one of the 20th century’s most transformative artists.

From the back streets of Brixton to the Victoria & Albert Museum, each location tells a story of Bowie’s remarkable metamorphosis.

Trace his journey through 61 pivotal sites: recording studios where groundbreaking albums were born, bohemian enclaves that nurtured his radical creativity, and underground clubs that became launching pads for entire cultural movements.

Book of the Month: A Training School for Elephants

Our Book of the Month for March is A Training School for Elephants by Sophy Roberts.

From the 2020 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year shortlisted author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia, Sophy Roberts takes us on a new journey, following four 19th century elephants marched from the East African coast towards Congo, to tell a heartbreaking story of folly and colonial greed.

Sophy Roberts brings history to life, tackling difficult, sensitive subjects with careful, exquisite prose.

In 1879, King Leopold II of Belgium launched an ambitious plan to plunder Africa’s resources. The key to cracking open the continent, or so he thought, was its elephants — if only he could train them.

And so he commissioned the charismatic Irish adventurer Frederick Carter to ship four tamed Asian elephants from India to the East African coast, where they were marched inland towards Congo. The ultimate aim was to establish a training school for African elephants.

Following in the footsteps of the four elephants, Roberts pieces together the story of this long-forgotten expedition, in travels that take her to Belgium, Iraq, India, Tanzania and Congo.

The storytelling brings to life a compelling cast of historic characters and modern voices, from ivory dealers to Catholic nuns, set against rich descriptions of the landscapes travelled. Roberts digs deep into historic records to reckon with our broken relationship with animals, revealing an extraordinary — and enduring — story of colonial greed, ineptitude, hypocrisy and folly.

A Training School for Elephants is available now for £22

Jay Rayner Nights Out at Home// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

For twenty-five years, award-winning restaurant critic Jay Rayner has been uncovering the very best of the nation’s eateries, from high end restaurants to high street grills. In his new book, Nights Out at Home, in a love letter to his favourite eating houses, Jay serves up recipes inspired by the superb dishes that have stolen his heart over the decades. He talks to Julia Leonard about the book, and foods from around the world that have inspired him.

This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Olympia, London on 2 February 2025.

Journey to the Carpathian Mountains with Nick Thorpe

In this guest blog post, Nick Thorpe, the author of our Book of the Month, Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness, reflects on his journey through the Carpathian Mountains and how it reshaped his understanding of wilderness and rewilding.

-by Nick Thorpe

‘You can drive out nature with a pitchfork…’ sang Tom Waits, ‘but it always comes roaring back…’ I thought of that line as I discussed the title for my new book with my editors at Yale University Press. Walking the Carpathians for my book changed my understanding of both wilderness and ‘re-wilding’. My book is a meditation on both, and on our relationship as locals and visitors to what is still wild in the landscape, and inside ourselves. I realised that what is ‘wild’ is contracting and expanding all the time, even in a world overwhelmed by spurts of news about machine-learning posing as intelligence. While we in the mountains are sometimes tempted to anthropomorphise animals and plants, we in the cities have already fallen into the trap of anthropomorphising machines. Bear intelligence dwarfs artificial intelligence. Whatever our differences or divisions, we’re all in this together.

Travis Elborough Writers’ Journeys// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Some truly remarkable works of literature have been inspired by writers spending time travelling. From epic road trips and arduous treks into remote territories, to cultural tours and sojourns in the finest hotels, author Travis Elborough explores 35 influential journeys taken by literary greats and reveals the repercussions of those travels on the authors’ personal lives and the broader literary landscape. Travis talks to Ash Bhardwaj, exploring some of the great minds and great books that have been inspired by some of remarkable travels.

Trevor McDonald’s World of Cricket// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Sir Trevor McDonald is one of Britain’s most celebrated broadcasters and his devotion for cricket is almost as well-known as his legendary professional achievements. He talks to Simon Lister about his love of the game, inspired by his Caribbean childhood, and the communities around the world that are brought together by a shared love of the sound of willow on leather.

This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Olympia, London on 1 February 2025.

Stanfords Specialist Mapping Services

As well as stores in London and Bristol, we also have a Stanfords For Business map team in Manchester who specialise in mapping for Planning Applications, Land Registry enquiries and much more.

Some customer orders we have worked on include aerial maps of places of worship for a community project, A-Z mapping for a college to help new students familiarise themselves with the local area, historical mapping for a sports club celebrating an anniversary, OS planning application mapping for a farmhouse wanting to add an outbuilding and an OS 1:25k site centred map showing the location of an engagement to give as a wedding gift.

Stanfords is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of mapping and geographic data.

Louise Minchin on Travel// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Journalist and broadcaster Louise Minchin has travelled a lot for work, but also while researching her non-fiction title Fearless, which detailed the lives of 17 extraordinary women, in places as diverse as Argentina, Finland and Alcatraz. Talking about this, and her new thriller, Isolation Island, set on a remote Scottish island, Louise discusses the delights and challenges of a working trip with Ann Morgan.

This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Olympia, London on 31 January 2025.

Isolation Island is available now for £20

Fearless is available for £11.

Petroc Trelawny’s Cornwall// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

Petroc Trelawny grew up on the Lizard Peninsula in the far south of Cornwall. His new book is part history, part memoir and a deeply felt exploration of Cornwall. Talking to Ann Morgan, he takes us by road, rail and foot, visiting old mine workings, ancient churches, sites where new technology was forged, and places where poets, musicians, architects and film makers have worked to shape Cornwall’s cultural identity.

Why We Travel with Phoebe Smith & Ash Bhardwaj// 2025 Stanfords Travel Writers Festival

What are the benefits of travelling, and why do so many of us feel compelled to do it? Ash Bhardwaj, author of Why We Travel, is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, whose work explores the intersection of travel, current affairs and human behaviour. Phoebe Smith is an award-winning adventurer, presenter, broadcaster, author and photographer. She hosts the Wander Woman Podcast and is Sleep Storyteller-in-Residence at Calm.com.

Together they talk to Ann Morgan about the transformative power of travel.

This is a live recording from Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show at Olympia, London on 31 January 2025.