Bibliography (Nonfiction)

Fantasy Map Collections

Fantasy Map Design

Maps and the Creative Process

  • Abercrombie, Joe. “The Role of Maps in Narrative: ‘The Heroes,’” in Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer (Abrams Image, 2013), pp. 227-230.
  • Card, Orson Scott. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest, 1990.
  • Kirkpatrick, Russell. “On Maps and Authorial Authority in Fantasy.” FableCroft (blog), 13 Sept 2017.
  • Kirstein, Rosemary. “Map Work.” Blog post, 31 January 2016.
  • Stevenson, Robert Louis. “My First Book: Treasure Island.” The Idler 6, Aug 1894.

Critical and Personal Essays on Fantasy Maps

To Investigate

These I have not seen. Citations may not be accurate.

  • Carlson, Claudia. “Mapping Real and Imaginary Worlds: Graphic Design in the Pursuit of Learning.” The Portolan 87 (Fall 2013).
  • Day, Frank W. “The Role and Purpose of the Map in Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature.” M.A. thesis, Bowling Green State University, 1979.
  • Duane, Diane. “Cartography for Other Worlds: A Short Look at a Neglected Subject.” SFWA Bulletin 11, no. 5 (1976), pp. 10-14.
  • Ekman, Stefan. “Exploring the Maps of Secondary Worlds.” Paper presented at the 29th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Orlando, Florida, 19-22 March 2008.
  • Hann, Deborah G. “Maps in Children’s Literature: Their Uses, Forms, and Functions.” M.A. thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2008.
  • Hunt, Peter. “Landscapes and Journeys, Metaphors and Maps: The Distinctive Feature of English Fantasy.” Children’s Literature Association Quarterly 12, no. 1 (1987), pp. 11-14.
  • McDermott, Paul. “The Design of Fictional Maps.” Proceedings of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, Fall 1976, pp. 348-362.
  • Petel, Claude. “La Cartographie des ‘Voyages Extraordinaires.’” Bulletin de la Société Jules Verne 123 (1997), pp. 42-44.
  • Sibley, Brian. The Maps of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
  • Walker, R. C. “The Cartography of Fantasy,” Mythlore 7, no. 4 (1981), pp. 37-38.
  • Westphal, Bertrand. Geocriticism: Real and Fictional Spaces. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.