Even in the age of Google Earth, people still buy globes. Here's why they remain so alluring
Find a globe in your local library or classroom and try this: Close the eyes, spin it and drop a finger randomly on its curved, glossy surface.
You’re likely to pinpoint a spot in the water, which covers 71% of the planet. Maybe you’ll alight on a place you’ve never heard of — or a spot that no longer exists after a war or because of climate change. Perhaps you’ll feel inspired to find out who lives there and what it's like. Look carefully, and you'll find the cartouche — the globemaker's signature — and the antipode ( look it up ) of where you're standing right now.
In the age of Google Earth, watches that triangulate and cars with built-in GPS, there's something about a globe — a spherical representation of the world in miniature — that somehow endures.
globemaker Peter Bellerby thinks the
You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.
Start your free 30 days