The Natures of Maps: Cartographic Constructions of the Natural World

Editor's Note We are pleased to introduce a new section in Cartographica devoted to a series of invited critiques and commentary on a target article. For the inaugural contribution, we have chosen to examine chapter 1 of a new book by Denis Wood and John Fels, The Natures of Maps (University of Chicago Press, 2008). Responses to this piece have been provided by Chris Perkins (University of Manchester, UK), Gwilym Eades (McGill University, Montreal, Canada), and Rob Kitchin (National University of Ireland, Maynooth). Wood and Fels then offer a short reply. Note that, for reasons of space and of clarity, some notes have been modified in the version provided here, and the colour figures that appear in the book have been omitted. Except in quoted material, US spellings have been replaced by Canadian spellings. (Jeremy W. Crampton)