A reception was held Nov. 15 in the Montpelier Room to celebrate the joint publication by the Library and McGraw-Hill of "Images of the World: The Atlas Through History."
The editors are John Wolter, former chief of the Library's Geography and Map Division, and Ronald Grim, cartographic history specialist in the division.
At the reception, Ralph Ehrenberg, division chief, described the book as the "first truly international effort to explore the development of the atlas on a worldwide basis."
"Images of the World" tracks the atlas and examines its role in history from the pre-Gutenberg days - when the atlas was a handmade object commissioned by royalty and merchant princes - to its interactive, digitized present. The book consists of 15 essays by an international group of scholars and 196 illustrations.
The basis for the book was an international symposium held in conjunction with the Library's 1984 exhibition on the history of the atlas. The symposium, also named "Images of the World," was organized by Mr. Wolter. It was cosponsored by the Center for the Book and the Geography and Map Division.
"The book is now out and we're thrilled about it," said John Y. Cole, director of the Center for the Book, during the reception. "But I guess some of the lessons include persistence, stick-to-itiveness, longevity, carefulness in editing and just plain good luck to run into McGraw-Hill."
McGraw-Hill's Sybil Parker, publisher for technical reference and new media, also spoke at the reception. When she had first considered the book and read a sample chapter, she told the audience, she was "really impressed beyond anything I had been involved with since I've been in publishing." Ms. Parker said she looked forward to a long relationship with the Library.
The book sells for $59.95 in the Library of Congress Sales Shop.
