Map a country and you own it—good as. As Matthew Edney argues in
Mapping an Empire, the British East India Company’s trigonometric surveys of
India 200 years ago combined territorial and intellectual conquest.
“Civilisation” came armed with a theodolite. It is how Britain painted half the
world’s map red. Published by University of Chicago Press in August,
£27.95/$35, ISBN 0 226 18487 0.
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
2
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
3
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
4
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
5
Putting CO2 into rocks and getting hydrogen out is climate double win
6
Can we harness quantum effects to create a new kind of healthcare?
7
We may finally know why dinosaurs like T. rex evolved tiny arms
8
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
9
Colossal claims an artificial eggshell will help it bring back the moa
10
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
