This Way Up : When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters)

This Way Up : When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters)Author: Map Men World atlases world maps Published on 23 October 2025 by HarperCollins Publishers (Mudlark) in the United Kingdom. Hardback 384 pages, 16 col plates (8pp) 162 x 243 x 36 612g A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A Waterstones Best Nature & Travel Writing Book 2025 'Educational, smart and funny Richard Osman This book is superb Charlie Brooker Brilliant. Fascinating. Hilarious. Jonn Elledge, bestselling author of A History of the World in 47

Author: Map Men

World atlases / world maps

Published on 23 October 2025 by HarperCollins Publishers (Mudlark) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 384 pages, 16 col plates (8pp)
162 x 243 x 36 | 612g

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A Waterstones Best Nature & Travel Writing Book 2025

'Educational, smart and funny’ Richard Osman

‘This book is superb’ Charlie Brooker

‘Brilliant. Fascinating. Hilarious.’ Jonn Elledge, bestselling author of A History of the World in 47 Borders

The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men!

Hello, we're the Map Men, and in the following pages we've selected what we believe to be some of the very best wrong maps. Some of them are decades old, some are centuries old and some are so recent they're being published today (or yesterday, if you’re reading this tomorrow).

They include world maps, colonial maps, corporate maps, Soviet maps, pioneer maps, news maps and maps whose intended use was hijacked for a French surrealist political movement in the 1950s. Whether you’re an avid map junkie or simply ‘map-curious’, you will uncover a unique tale of adventure, error and unexpected humour in each chapter, as we attempt to answer the question: ‘What on earth happened here?’

So, ditch the compass (or disable location services) and set out on a journey with us, the Map Men, into a world of cartographic chaos and mappy mishaps.

Because the worst maps are the best maps.