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

Paperback Published on: 04/06/2026
Price: £10.99
Free UK delivery on orders over £25, otherwise £2.99
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Make and edit your lists in your account
Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop
In stock
Usually dispatched within 1-2 days
Check click & collect stock near you
Collect today: Pay in shop

Bookseller Reviews

View all
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
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
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
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 reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
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 reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
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 reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
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

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

View all
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