Maps on Vinyl: An Atlas of Album Cover Maps is a one-of-a-kind visual archive that reads the history of recorded music through a cartographic lens, presenting 415 album covers — spanning 1939 to the present — in which maps do the cultural and political work that lyrics alone cannot.
About This Book
Born from Australian cartographer Damien Saunder's personal collection — described as possibly the world's most extensive private gathering of map-featuring record covers — this atlas is both a serious document and an absorbing visual experience. The 415 covers are reproduced with care and accompanied by deeply researched text that unpacks how maps function within album art: as political statement, geographical identity, lyrical reinforcement, or pure graphic invention. Organised into eight thematic chapters, the book draws on artists from Madonna to Brian Eno, with cover art by designers including Peter Saville, Roger Dean, and Neville Garrick. It is a compelling intersection of graphic design history, cartography, and music culture.
Key Features
- 332 pages of 415 album covers beautifully reproduced alongside deeply researched contextual text
- By Damien Saunder, cartographer whose work has been utilised by Apple, National Geographic, and Earth (the world's largest atlas)
- Cover art by Peter Saville, Roger Dean, Stanley Mouse, Neville Garrick, Pedro Bell, Curtis McNair, Richard Gray, and Alton Kelly, among others
- Records by Madonna, Oasis, Coldplay, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, XTC, MC5, Queen, New Order, James Brown, Brian Eno, and Weezer, among others
- Published by C-Art
What You'll Discover
- How album cover maps have been deployed to express political viewpoints, environmental concern, and cultural identity across eight decades of recorded music
- Eight thematic chapters — including 'C(art)ography', 'African Beats', 'Maps with Attitude', and 'Astroworlds' — that reveal distinct traditions within the genre
- The graphic design strategies of some of the most celebrated album art creators, examined through their use of cartographic imagery
- The unexpected breadth of the form: how maps appear across genres from reggae to rock, funk to ambient, each carrying different cartographic meaning
About the Author
Damien Saunder is a renowned Australian cartographer whose expertise has been engaged by Apple, National Geographic, and Earth, the world's largest atlas, as well as by Roger Federer. An avid crate-digger, he has assembled what may be the world's most extensive private collection of records featuring maps on their covers, forming the foundation of this book.
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 332
- Dimensions: 25.5 x 29.3 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780646708713
- Publisher: C-Art
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Graphic designers and art directors interested in album art history, cartographers and map enthusiasts, vinyl collectors, and anyone drawn to the intersection of music culture and visual communication.