------------ EH.NET BOOK REVIEW --------------  
Published by EH.NET (November 2006)  
  
Mary Sponberg Pedley, _The Commerce of Cartography: Making and   
Marketing Maps in Eighteenth-century France and England_. Chicago:   
University of Chicago Press, 2005. xvii + 435 pp. $40 (cloth), ISBN:   
0-226-65341-2.  
  
Reviewed for EH.NET by Susan Danforth, John Carter Brown Library.  
  
  
In October, 2001, I attended the Fourteenth Kenneth Nebenzahl, Jr.,   
Lecture in the History of Cartography at the Newberry Library in   
Chicago. That year the theme was "A Taste for Maps: Commerce and   
Cartography in Early Modern Europe," and the keynote and primary   
speaker was Mary Pedley, who over the course of two days gave three   
well-crafted lectures on the effect of economic factors on   
eighteenth-century map production, issues that had not been tackled   
very often in writings in the history of cartography. In the 1970s   
the often politically edgy work of Brian Harley on issues of power   
and authority in the design, publication, and distribution of maps   
began to shift many scholars' attention from more traditional topics   
in the field -- i.e., mankind's chronological "progression" from   
geographically benighted to scientifically enlightened -- towards an   
approach that focused more on subjective issues of map production,   
offering potential for the interdisciplinary investigation that had   
become popular in academe. But there really hadn't been much work   
done on certain foundation issues. Simply put, how could one offer a   
fully developed theory of why maps were or were not produced, why   
they looked the way they did, without an appreciation of the many   
practical considerations that affected production and distribution,   
such as methods of compilation, cost of materials like copper plates   
and paper and, of course, the cost of labor and transportation?   
Certainly these practical issues had at least as much impact on what   
was or was not produced as issues of imperial design and power.   
Obviously, what was needed was someone of ability to take the time to   
explore available archival resources and knit the myriad pieces of   
information together to provide a picture of the day-to-day world of   
the eighteenth-century map. Fortunately, Mary Pedley has done just   
that with _The Commerce of Cartography. Making and Marketing Maps in   
Eighteenth-century France and England_, a masterful overview of the   
nuts and bolts of the London and Paris map trade.  
  
Pedley begins with a paragraph explaining eighteenth-century French   
and English monetary units. Without this background information it is   
certain that a large percentage of her audience (myself, in   
particular) would not be able to appreciate the nuanced economic   
comparisons she draws. The main body of the book that follows   
examines the many elements that came together to produce and market a   
map. The book concludes with six appendices that provide information   
about the expenses of map production in France, England and North   
America respectively -- the costs of surveying, purchasing materials   
such as copper and paper, and paying the engravers and artists. Also   
presented are map and print prices in France and England, and wages   
by occupation and date. These appendices contain a wealth of   
information that can be profitably mined by scholars to shed light on   
any number of questions  
  
Part one, "Making Maps," explores the complexities of map production   
step-by-step, contrasting situations in England and France that often   
determined which maps were produced and how they looked. For   
instance, in France a mapmaker was perceived as a professional, often   
with an academic background, while in England cartography was seen as   
more of a craft or trade with many of its practitioners self-taught.   
Among other things, Pedley discusses such issues as the cost of   
surveys, why some maps were printed while others remained in   
manuscript, and how long it took to produce an engraved map.  
  
Part two, "Selling Maps," addresses financial issues connected with   
mapmaking and some of the problems of plagiarism, once again pointing   
out differences between France and England. In terms of financing,   
lack of government support in England led map publishers to develop   
joint partnerships and other solutions to raise capital, in contrast   
with the situation in France, where provincial governments typically   
provided sponsorship. Although a climate for copyright had begun to   
develop in England from the first such Act of 1709 (which protected   
booksellers, not authors), there was no such government protection in   
France.  
  
Part three, "Evaluating Maps," may burst some bubbles. As a map   
curator, I recall students and researchers over the years who felt   
certain that as soon as a new place was "discovered," as soon as a   
significant event was reported, it would certainly appear on a map,   
because it made sense that the "public" would demand and support the   
publication of scientifically accurate, up-to-date maps. So it is   
interesting to read that the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle   
was praised by his contemporaries for adding new information to his   
maps slowly, so as not to shock his public. Other eighteenth-century   
commentators were happy to see that mapmakers left outdated   
information on maps "just in case." Perhaps the island in the middle   
of the Pacific that hadn't been seen in fifty years was there after   
all. What mapmaker would want to be responsible for a shipwreck? "In   
the end," Pedley says, "what sold maps was price. A copy or   
counterfeit was as good as the real thing to the consumer." That   
said, she also points out that throughout the eighteenth century   
mapmakers grappled with ways to improve the quality of cartography,   
focusing on the need for improved training, increased government   
support, and the enforcement of laws regarding privileges and   
copyright, topics that Pedly addresses in this final section of the   
book.  
  
_The Commerce of Cartography_ deserves a prominent place on the   
bookshelf of every cartographic specialist, for it can be used as a   
ready reference to provide answers to questions that are asked again   
and again -- How many maps could be pulled from a copper plate? How   
long did it take to engrave a map? How much did it cost? --   
information about practical issues of mapmaking that is often   
difficult to come by. But this book should also be read and used by   
everyone who is considering integrating cartographic themes into   
their research in any discipline. Pedley states that her book is   
"less concerned with the power structures inherent in the map trade   
than in what was economically possible and economically profitable   
for map producers." It could be suggested that a fuller understanding   
of those issues would do much to enrich future scholarship.  
  
  
Susan Danforth is Assistant Librarian and Curator of Maps at the John   
Carter Brown Library in Providence, Rhode Island.  
  
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