Published annually since 1974, now probably on standing order, if such a concept still survives, by all large general academic libraries, Bibliographia Cartographica is universally regarded as a major subject reference tool. In this latest volume 4,128 unannotated entries are listed A‐Z by author and are assembled under 15 heavily sub‐divided sections:
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A, Bibliography, documentation, general literature, which includes collective writings and periodicals.
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B, History of cartography, covering regional history and epochs of the history of cartography: antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and the modern period.
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C, Biographical aspects.
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D, Organisations and institutions, encompassing cartographical societies, teaching and research institutions, map producers, map collections, conferences and exhibitions, legal questions and copyright.
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E, Theory of cartography, the nature and philosophy of cartography, surveying for mapping, map drafting and design, and map revision.
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F, Map production, practical cartography, including traditional and computer‐assisted techniques.
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G, Spatial information systems, graphic data banks, geographical information systems (GIS), and land information systems (LIS).
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H, Topographic cartography, namely maps according to scale and the content of topographic maps.
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I, Thematic cartography, maps grouped according to content including astronomy, glaciology, history, landscape, military, settlement and tourism.
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J, Atlas cartography.
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K, Tactile maps, maps for the blind.
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L, Film and computer screen maps.
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M, Map‐like representations, including two‐ and three‐dimensional maps.
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N, Use of maps, comprising perception, map reading and interpretation, cadastral mapping, journalistic cartography, and navigational mapping.
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O, Regional cartography: nine regions including outer space.
A total of 56 academics and librarians from 40 countries on all five continents are responsible for the entries, which give author, title of book or journal, date of publication, and pagination. Where appropriate, items are cited more than once in different sections. No pains are spared to make the bibliography accessible: the detailed contents pages appear separately in English, German and French, as do all section and sub‐section headings.
Even without volume 1 to hand it is evident that some of the categories could hardly have been included 25 years ago, confirming that the bibliography has kept pace with the subject. Nothing appears to have been overlooked and Bibliographia Cartographica looks set fair for the next 25 years at least.
