Comments on: Wish I still had my class notes...

Question: Wish I still had my class notes...

bellbellbell — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:01:34 -0800

Looking for a specific article on text placement on a map.

I am trying to find a specific article (it may have been a book chapter) about text placement on maps. It was required reading in a cartography class c. 2004-2005, but referred to as THE authority on the subject. It could easily have been fifty years old. It had helpful little illustrations.

Any ideas?

By: carsonb

carsonb — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:31:46 -0800

If it's canonical, maybe it's referenced in other articles? eg?

By: Commander Rachek

Commander Rachek — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:37:33 -0800

I seem to recall something about that in one of Edward Tufte's books; if I'm correct on that point, it was most likely Envisioning Information.

By: zpousman

zpousman — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:04:53 -0800

There are a few pages on this in Envisioning Information. But it's certainly not canonical -- Tufte is a statistician and (graphic) design professor, not a cartographer by any stretch of the imagination.

By: avocet

avocet — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:09:58 -0800

Looking back at what I used in my intro classes, could it have been from Thematic Cartography and Geovisualization? Lots of helpful little illustrations!

By: bellbellbell

bellbellbell — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:48:54 -0800

You're right carsonb, it was referenced in that article: it was Imhof, E. Positioning names on maps. The American Cartographer 2, 2 (Oct. 1975), 128-144.

avocet, I wish I could find Thematic Cartography and Geoviz in a library close to me... is it worth the $100CDN?

Thanks for your suggestions all!

By: cashman

cashman — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:00:35 -0800

I don't know where you're at, but there's a fairly decent spread of copies of this - just put in your zip code to find the nearest copy.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:31:19 -0800

Hooray! Glad you found it. Don't forget your 'resolved' tag.