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An eye-opening journey through fifty maps that ask what, exactly, the people who made our world were thinking, and what that says about our past and future.

Everyone loves a good map. As writer Nicholas Danforth is keen to remind us, maps tell stories about the world and its history—but not always the ones their makers intend. In 50 Maps That Can't Explain the World, Danforth gives us a whirlwind tour of a wide variety of maps, illustrating what they can—and can't—teach us about the world.

Witty and irreverent, the pieces take on many cartographic topics of current political interest, including Russian imperialism, the misunderstood appeal of Greenland, and where Canada came from. Others concern mapmaking itself, exploring why north is “up” and how to map time. In doing so, these pieces show that places as varied as Khiva, Atlantis, and even Arkansas matter for addressing big questions, including the best way to draw borders or the future of America’s foreign policy. Featuring a wide array of unique and forgotten maps, all these pieces regale readers with their interesting tales, such as how the Near East became the Middle East or what the US would look like if it lost World War I.

Throughout, Danforth’s entertaining, thoughtful commentary reveals that while maps may not solve all the world’s woes, they can show us where we’ve been and point us to where we’re trying to go.