The Globemakers is a layman accessible and fascinating monograph on the art and craft of globemaking by Peter Bellerby. Released 17th Oct 2023 by Bloomsbury, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is a fascinating book, full of background information (ancient and current) on globemaking. It's also a personal story with lots of the author's recollections on setting himself the task to learn (seemingly on a whim) how to make a globe which morphed into a demand for high end artisanal globes giving rise to his workshop in London (and soon expanding to NYC).
This could've been a dry-as-dust recitation, but it's anything but, being infused by the author's warmth and gentle self-deprecating humor. There are anecdotes and history from ancient times to relatively recent modern times. The book is also lavishly illustrated in color with photographs of the Bellerby studio and the artists working there to facsimile documents and drawings from ancient maps and books.
Four and a half stars. Engaging and gorgeously illustrated, this would be a very good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or for gift giving purposes.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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