Presenting an illustrated history of the Age of Discovery, New Worlds displays our finest maps and tells the stories of the explorers, rulers, scientists, artists and charlatans who created them. The collection begins with the medieval era, strange unscientific depictions of the world that bears little resemblance to geographic reality, through to the earliest semi-accurate depictions of Europe and the rest of the world, taking us through the age of European discoveries and into the era of colonialism. Each map is contextualized in its proper historical setting and a wealth of information is offered into the process of exploration and cartography.