We are very pleased to report that Hakluyt Society Council member, Bertie Mandleblatt, the George S. Parker II, Curator of Maps and Prints, at the John Carter Brown Library, Providence, Rhode Island, was the speaker for the online Maps and Society lecture, organized by the Warburg Institute, London. Bertie spoke on ‘Mapping Revolution, Mapping Slavery: the Vicomte de Rochambeau and Cartographic Dreams of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity in the Caribbean’.
These lectures focus on the history of maps and mapping worldwide, from earliest times to the twentieth century, with an emphasis on the social and cultural factors of the maps’ context, production, and use. Many speakers are internationally well-known scholars in the subject, but early-career speakers are also encouraged. The meetings advance understanding of non-current maps both through formal proceedings and informal encounters with established practitioners, who include academics, librarians, map collectors, and dealers. The style of the well-illustrated lectures is scholarly but accessible to an audience whose own interests and expertise range widely.
Lectures in the history of cartography convened by Catherine Delano-Smith (Institute of Historical Research), Peter Barber (formerly Map Library, British Library), Alessandro Scafi (Warburg Institute) and Philip Jagessar (King’s College London). Meetings in London, when these are physically possible, are generously supported by the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association’s Educational Trust and the International Map Collectors’ Society.