This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (and Why it Matters)

Paperback Published on: 04/06/2026
Price: £10.99
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Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
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Bookseller Reviews

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This Way Up
Be warned! This contains not just dad jokes but geography teacher jokes.
Have you ever wondered how the people navigated vast swaths of the featureless Pacific Ocean without a chart? Or how some of those unnaturally straight lin... READ MORE
Eilish from Rustington
This Way Up
This Way Up
This Way Up is one of the best books I have read this year. It is packed with fascinating facts - obviously it is a book about maps but in telling the stor... READ MORE
Lesley at Commercial Street Dundee
This Way Up
Witty, quirky and informative
Whether you are already fans of the Map Men YouTube series (I am), or just have an interest in maps, This Way Up is for you. This book is jam packed wit... READ MORE
Beth_at_the_Hub
This Way Up
A fascinating book that will delight every kind of reader!
What a phenomenal book! I don't read much non-fiction (and I certainly don't read much about maps) but this is a joy from beginning to end, full to burstin... READ MORE
Ross at Glasgow Sauchiehall St
This Way Up
Hilarious, educational, brilliant.
A fun and informative look at the world, and it's history through the lens of some throughly bafflingly bad maps. This book not only covers the stories be... READ MORE
Angie at Blackpool
This Way Up
Map Men lovers - it’s your lucky day.
This Way Up is a lighthearted, accessible entry point into non fiction with wide appeal, though if you’ve ever watched the Map Men YouTube videos you’ll ap... READ MORE
Rosie, Waterstones Cheltenham
This Way Up
Maps, maps and you guessed it more MAPS!
I laughed, I loved it, and dare I say I love maps more because of it. While the authors of this book already have a pre-existing following on Youtube doi... READ MORE
Liv F. from Newcastle
This Way Up
Funny but educational
This is perfect for anyone already familiar with the Map Men format but also anyone who wants to learn something new in an incredibly entertaining way.This... READ MORE
Kat S. -- Preston
This Way Up
Hilarious and Insightful
As a fan of YouTube Map Man, I thoroughly enjoyed Book Map Men. However, I think everyone would enjoy and benefit from reading this. The Map Men exercis... READ MORE
Kat S. -- Preston
This Way Up
Maps the way you do it.
Turns out I’m not the only person who lives a map (Had a Peter’s Projection on the bath room wall at Uni). Soaked in their trademark humour, this story tak... READ MORE
Steve e

Synopsis

The debut book from the YouTube sensation and all-round cartographical nerds, The Map Men!

Hello, we're the Map Men, and in the following pages we've selected what we believe to be some of the very best wrong maps. Some of them are decades old, some are centuries old and some are so recent they're being published today (or yesterday, if you’re reading this tomorrow).

They include world maps, colonial maps, corporate maps, Soviet maps, pioneer maps, news maps and maps whose intended use was hijacked for a French surrealist political movement in the 1950s. Whether you’re an avid map junkie or simply ‘map-curious’, you will uncover a unique tale of adventure, error and unexpected humour in each chapter, as we attempt to answer the question: ‘What on earth happened here?’

So, ditch the compass (or disable location services) and set out on a journey with us, the Map Men, into a world of cartographic chaos and mappy mishaps.

Because the worst maps are the best maps.

Read this if you loved...

A History of the World in 47 Borders by John Elledge

Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall

A History of Britain in Ten Enemies by Terry Deary

Publisher information

  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • ISBN: 9780008710323
  • Number of pages: 384
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 34 mm
  • Weight: 350g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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This Way Up
Weird and fascinating
Making Maps fun and educational and very enjoyable read. The way it written is engaging I learnt many new things and couldn't put it down.
Shana Holme
This Way Up
this way up
puerile
rosalind mcneill
Verified Purchase
This Way Up
Absolutely dreadful drivel
The concept looked great on paper but the actual book is infantile drivel. Needed a good editor: someone strong enough to say to the authors 'This is poorl... READ MORE
Jo Lloyd
Verified Purchase
This Way Up
Childish and annoying to read
Written in a childish manner this book may be suited to pre-teens but any adult reader expecting a serious book will be disappointed. Every time I try to r... READ MORE
Thomas van den Aarssen
This Way Up
Wrong wavelength for me
Sorry guys but I didn’t enjoy this book. I was attracted by the concept- and there were some great themes - but really put off by the execution. It wasn’t ... READ MORE
Debbie Leven