18 January 2007

Da Vinci Code for map lovers?

A new book is out that I guess I'll have to read soon: Barbara Parker's The Perfect Fake.

It's an thriller that wraps the action around a meticulously forged 500 year old map. Last winter I got to visit the map vault in the basement of the Library of Congress and see some maps that were about that same age. The maps were so vivid and so significant (we also got to see George Washington's personal handdrawn survey of his farm) that I'll never forget the experience.

The reviews describe the writing and the way the author details things like the paper used and the techniques for the forging. It sound like quite the education in historic maps. And it sounds like a decent novel for a flight or a train ride.

No comments: