The Rand McNally New Concise Atlas of the Universe [antikvár]

ForeuiordNew worlds are charted by new atlases. Each memorable new atlas in the history of the world has been called forth by the discoveries of that era.About A.D. 150 Ptolemy of Alexandria gave in his Geographia instructions for the production of charts of the civilized world which were far in advance of any others because, for the first time, accurate astronomical methods had been used in their compilation. Ptolemy's world was encompassed by the boundaries of a fraction of the Earth's surface which we know today but his maps represented a vast improvement on anything which had been attempted before. After him mapping techniques of Earth and heavens became more extensive and more accurate. New projections were devised and new observations improved the accuracy.Some 1450 years laterabout a century after the great voyages of Columbusthe first scientific book of maps covering the known world appeared. Drawn by the Flemish geographer Gerhardus Mercator (1512-1594) it gave us a new word "atlas"-from the illustration on the cover which showed the mythological giant Atlas supporting the globe of the Earth. Mercator's great Renaissance Atlas was produced in response to the urgent contemporary need to redefine the boundaries of the old world by including the recent discoveries of the newAmerica.Now, four centuries later, comes this Atlas of the Universe, a new record of the modern age of discovery. The publication of this Atlas marks a significant moment in human history when men recognized their frail status on this Earth in relation to the vastness of space. For everywhere on this Earth people have been fascinated and excited by the space exploits of our age. From the first Sputnik in 1957 to the landing of man on the Moon in 1969 the drama of exploring outer space has been ceaseless.