This week’s whimsy is brought to you by maps of fictional places:
If I ruled the world, or at least a publishing company, all books would contain as much supplementary information as possible. Nonfiction, fiction—doesn’t matter. Every work would have an appendix filled with diagrams, background information, digressions and anecdata. And of course, maps. Lots and lots of maps. This predilection probably sprang from the books I read as a kid—books like The Phantom Tollbooth, The Hobbit and The Princesss Bride—all of which feature engaging maps that serve as gateways to imaginary lands. Here, say these maps, you’re in this other world now.
Maps she discusses are from The Princess Bride, Winnie the Pooh, The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit and more. What other maps have you enjoyed in your fictions?
original sketch of the Hundred Acre Wood for the book Winnie The Pooh
Please share any bits and pieces you have come across recently that have surprised, delighted, intrigued or otherwise positively engaged you.
NB: the weekly whimsy thread is a stoush-free zone
I want a map of Majipoor!
I found this gallery of dogs diving after balls that probably qualifies as whimsical…
I like the maps for Discworld.
I hed to post thus.
God Defend New Zealand.
faustusnotes, those piccies are so cool. Wish they were wearing goggles, though, so they looked as crazed as humans under water.
As another matter of whimsy, yesterday was Valentine’s Day in Japan, and yes indeed they do celebrate it but it’s a festival of purest evil. I have a brief explanation of why on my blog.
Spilling, Zabeel.
God Difind New Zealand.
luvvly, zabeel….’new zealotland’, from now on…
The images are beautiful, the song is unbelievably cringingly excruciatingly awful.
Hhhmmmm yes. I probably spent more time looking at maps of Middle Earth than was strictly necessary.
Earthsea was another fav.
One of the complaints I have about some of these fictional maps is that while the stories themselves may be great, the maps accompanying show that the storyteller has no idea of basic geography. To the point where one may as well not have the map.
The world of the Wheel of Time is a case in point. I love the story, but the map makes me cringe.
Jamie Oliver; the cooking guy, has discovered original tapes by Joy Division and New Order while renovating a restaurant in Manchester.
http://www.metro.co.uk/music/890385-jamie-oliver-finds-joy-division-and-new-order-rare-tapes-in-basement
After the poetic stylings of Gina I present Charlie Brooker’s Sun poem
http://youtu.be/jI0BpJ5WQO4
No transcript yet I’m sorry to say. Work of genius though.
Whoops try
Sorry that link http://youtu.be/D2rBDoCj2Gg (Mods feel free to clean up my last post!)
@3 nice one — NZ is one of the most popular fictional worlds!
At the completely-made-up
HogwartsOtago University, this global ranking of flags is very cute, with fantastic comments from the site author:http://www.otago.ac.nz/philosophy/Staff/JoshParsons/flags/meth.html
http://www.otago.ac.nz/philosophy/Staff/JoshParsons/flags/alpha.html
(I’m sure this one’s been posted before, but it rewards re-reading)
That flag page is pretty funny!
I’ve added to the whimsy at my blog this week by attempting to redo a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet entirely in business buzzwords. It seems to be coming out okay …
Ahh Faustusnotebook, what you need is Map making for Gamers where you’ll be able to give your characters a home and en place on the present weekwhim theme.
Look forward to see your name on the Fantasy atlas.
Nothing to do with maps but this is fun:
Incredibly Sexy Firefighter Tragically Dies In Steamy Blaze
(Don’t forget to skip the ad)
This is also a laugh:
Judge Rules White Girl Will Be Tried As Black Adult
Hello Kitty Evangelion