--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
>Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 16:03:01 +0100
>From: Darius Bartlett <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: 1:1 scale maps (was "Humor needed")
 
 
----
At 14:07 25/09/98 -0400, Brendan Whyte <[log in to unmask]>
wrote: 
 
>>>I remember a story (it may have been from Lewis Carroll, the author of
>>>Alice in Wonderland) who wrote about a place that had a superb map of the
>>>countryside.  Unlike ordinary maps, which usually are one inch=one mile
>>>(or some other scale), this one had a scale of 1:1 (that's right...one
>>>inch=one inch).  However, they couldn't use the map very often, because
>>>the farmers complained that it blocked out the sun.
>> This was either Carroll, or Oscar wilde. I would like to know the exact
>>reference if anyone knows. It isn't in 'Alice' itself anyway.
 
and Steven Holloway replied
 
>I believe the refernece is from The Little Pince. He made a 1:1 map of his
>little planet. There may be another reference but I seem to remember
>reading it there. I often use it in my classes! He was always making fun of
>geographers.
 
Sorry folks, but no it was not The Little Prince (believe me... I am a Little
Prince fan, and have the story in English, French, Russian, German, Polish and
Greek editions so far! This cartographic tale isn't in any of them!). 
 
The source of the "1:1" scale map is indeed Louis Carroll - it features in
"Sylvie and Bruno Revisited", as follows:
 
>Mein Herr looked so thoroughly bewildered that I thought it best to change 
>the subject. “What a useful thing a pocket-map is!” I remarked. 
>
>“That’s another thing we’ve learned from your Nation,” said Mein Herr, 
>“map-making. But we’ve carried it much further than you. What do you
consider 
>the largest map that would be really useful?” 
>
>“About six inches to the mile.” 
>
>“Only six inches!” exclaimed Mein Herr. “We very soon got to six yards to 
>the mile. Then we tried a hundred yards to the mile. And then came the
grandest 
>idea of all! We actually made a map of the country, on the scale of a mile
to 
>the mile!” 
>
>”Have you used it much?” I enquired. 
>
>“It has never been spread out, yet,” said Mein Herr: “the farmers objected: 
>they said it would cover the whole country, and shut out the sunlight! So we 
>now use the country itself, as its own map, and I assure you it does nearly 
>as well. Now let me ask you another question. What is the smallest world you 
>would care to inhabit?” 
>
>“I know!” cried Bruno, who was listening intently. ‘I’d like a little teeny-
>tiny world, just big enough for Sylvie and me!” 
>
>“Then you would have to stand on opposite side of it,” said Mein Herr.
“And so 
>you would never see your sister at all!” 
>
>”And I’d have no lessons,” said Bruno. 
 
One of my own personal favourites from Carroll on the subject of mapping, 
though, comes from the Bellman's Speech in "Hunting of the Snark" (Fit the 
Second), as follows:
 
>	The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies--
>		Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
>	Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
>		The moment one looked in his face!
>
>	He had bought a large map representing the sea,
>		Without the least vestige of land:
>	And the crew were much pleased when they found it to be
>		A map they could all understand.
>
>	“What’s the good of Mercator’s North Poles and Equators,
>		Tropics, Zones, and Meridian Lines?”
>	So the Bellman would cry: and the crew would reply
>		“They are merely conventional signs!
>
>	“Other maps are such shapes, with their islands and capes!
>		But we’ve got our brave Bellman to thank”
>	(So the crew would protest) “that he’s bought us the best--
>		A perfect and absolute blank!”
>
 
Acknowledgements: both quotes given above were taken from the absolutely
wonderful Web editions of Carroll's work, which contain the full text of
both works. Http://www.hoboes.com/html/FireBlade/Carroll/
 
Happy reading!
 
Darius
 
 
************************************************************************
Darius Bartlett                                          Darius Bartlett  
Department of Geography                           Roinn na Tireolaiochta
University College Cork                   Colaste na hOllscoile Corcaigh
Cork, Ireland                                             Corcaigh, Eire
 
Phone: (+353) 21 902835                             Fax: (+353) 21 271980
Mobile: (+353) 86 8238043    
E-mail: [log in to unmask]     Web URL: http://www.ucc.ie/ucc/depts/geography/djb
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