The Shape of the Union

To all my fellow cartographers:

I love maps. I can sit and look at them for hours. I had a AAA membership for years just so I could pick up a map on a whim.

If you suffer from this disorder like me, you know that it's more than just the quest for knowledge or information about a particular region. The maps themselves take on an almost living quality. The interplay of the boundaries, the movement of the rivers and roads - they set up a rhythm and resonance of their own.

And, just in time for Fathers' Day, here comes the book How the States Got their Shapes by Mark Stein. Please note the spelling: this is not the Mark Steyn I often reference, but this fellow is equally well-versed in his field. David Mark's review of Mr Stein's book begins:

While Mark Stein's University of Wisconsin classmates were protesting the Vietnam War, he had a different set of concerns: How come Michigan has that whole separate section that's actually attached to Wisconsin? Why does Delaware
exist and why isn't it just part of Maryland?

If, like me, you've ever wondered about such matters (and had the same set of priorities in college), enjoy!