Ben Keene has appeared on National Public Radio, Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio as well as many other nationally syndicated programs to discuss geographic literacy and his work updating a bestselling world atlas. Formerly a touring musician, he now contributes to World Hum, Transitions Abroad, Nordic Reach, Draft, TravelMuse, and inTravel.

Because I don’t enjoy shopping, I rarely buy souvenirs on my trips abroad. Yet two years ago, while browsing the stacks of a used bookstore in St. Andrews, Scotland, I happened across a small volume with a faded red cover that I couldn’t bear to leave behind. Plus, £4.50 hardly seemed extravagant given that I’d paid £3.80 for a pint of beer and a mug of black coffee the night before.

Published in 1928 by Methuen & Co. Ltd. of London, The Fjords and Folk of Norway is a unique combination of travel guide, social history, and encyclopedia. It was peppered with 43 images photographed and captioned by the author Samuel J. Beckett, and to my delight, included a two-color, fold-out map of a country the preface confidently described as “a land in every way ideal for holiday travel.” Given the theme for this year’s Geography Awareness Week, I thought it deserved a mention here.

Keep reading Ben’s full post on his blog!
http://whereandback.blogspot.com/2009/11/historical-maps-and-what-they-teach-us.html