This blog post is part of a summer series on imaginary maps, written by Hannah Stahl, a former Library Technician in the Geography & Map Division. Read the introductory post to the series here.
During this summer we’ve entered the mindsets of readers from the Middle Ages, traveled with Frodo and Sam through Mordor, visited the worlds of our favorite children’s stories, and sailed the high seas with map monsters. While entertaining, I hope, was there a point to all of it? To illustrate that while maps are generally used for navigation and scientific purposes, they’re not exclusively for scientists or those lost on the highway. Maps are for everyone. You just have to find the map that shows the information you’re interested in.
If you were to visit the Geography and Map Division in person or online, how could you find this information?
The Library of Congress classification system has a range of call numbers reserved for maps of imaginary places: G9930-G9979. This is a good place to start if you want a comprehensive look at all imaginary maps in our collection, particularly if you are looking for maps in person in the Geography and Map Division, or if you’re not sure if a map is imaginary or not. Check the call number!
If you want to take a look at maps we have online, type “imaginary places” into the search bar on the Library of Congress website while limiting the search to maps. This will bring up all of the maps of imaginary places that the Geography and Map Division has cataloged.
Start by clicking on “All Formats,” then select “Maps.”
Once you’ve set the format to “Maps,” type in “imaginary place” into the search bar and click “GO.”
Feel like getting into the nitty gritty of the research process? Try searching our Ethel M. Fair Collection finding aid. The Ethel M. Fair Collection features over 800 pictorial maps of all different kinds of places, including imaginary ones. The Anciente Mappe of Fairyland is one example of an imaginary map from this collection.
