Atlas of Imagined Places: from Lilliput to Gotham City

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A stunning map collection of invented geography and topography drawn from the world’s imagination. Fascinating, beautiful and an essential book for any popular culture fan and map enthusiast. Special thanks to Tyler McChantelle who, as on previous maps, has provided many locations. Ditto Amanda Oliver, who continues to fill in blanks. From volcanoes that spew bubble gum to animals that change their coats whenever someone sneezes, this book is full of imagination. The dreamy illustrations are soothing and yet full of mystery. Imagine your child climbing to the tallest lighthouse and drawing out new galaxies with their finger. That is the kind of magic you can imagine by reading this book.

Atlas of Imagined Cities takes 14 world cities, including London, and plots the homes of hundreds of fictional characters — from Del Boy and Rodney to Count Dracula to Mrs Dalloway. The maps also pinpoint dozens of famous fictional organisations and businesses — Central Perk, Ghostbusters HQ, Torchwood, Cyberdyne Sytems, Sterling Cooper, Tyrell Corporation, to name just a few of the more famous examples. A sneak peek at part of fictional Manhattan And on the far side of Costa Rica, we discover Isla Nublar, and the nearby island cluster known as Las Cinco Muertes – the Five Deaths – well named indeed, for here are the lost worlds of Jurassic Park, where genetically re-created dinosaurs once again rule the Earth! The book includes interesting discoveries including George Orwell's Animal Farm being located right next to Winnie the Pooh's 100 Acre Wood.The 14 cities covered are Berlin, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York City, Paris, Rio, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Venice and Washington DC. We're especially looking for locations outside of the centre. Whole swathes of Greater London, and much of Inner London are still empty. We're interested in central locations, too, but only the more mainstream additions will find room.

The maps feature fictional buildings, towns, cities and countries plus mountains and rivers, oceans and seas. Ever wondered where the Bates Motel was based? Or Bedford Falls in It's a Wonderful Life? The authors have taken years to research the likely geography of thousands of popular culture locations that have become almost real to us. Sometimes these are easy to work out, but other times a bit of detective work is needed and the authors have been those detectives. By looking at the maps, you'll find that the revolution at Animal Farm happened next to Winnie the Pooh's home.

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Londonist editor-at-large Matt Brown, and co-author Rhys B Davies, have taken the concept to the entire planet in their Atlas of Imagined Places.

The map was created by Matt Brown and Rhys B Davies. We'll list the names of anybody who suggests a fictional location that we decide to use. We did the research by trawling through the internet and looking for books. I would then compile a master spreadsheet and Matt would do rough sketch maps and put locations down on it." From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps. From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps.Robert Louis Stevenson may not have invented pop culture’s vision of the Golden Age of Sail, but he certainly codified it. His classic adventure Treasure Island bequeathed to the world a romantic paradigm best encapsulated in Long John Silver, the ruthless sea cook complete with peg leg and parrot. I stumbled across this and I got so enthusiastic sending in ideas and suggestions of fictional places that he took me on as co-creator. From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to superhero Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps. When author Mia Cassany and illustrator Ana de Lima imagined this imaginary places atlas, they delved into the dream world of upside down worlds of mountains, fish raining from the sky, critters changing colors (and patterns) upon a sneeze you might make. From Stephen King's Salem's Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver's Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps.

What happens when someone simply lets their imagination conjure up places to see that have never been seen? What about plants or animals never seen? What would your drawings of a mapping of these places, plants, and animals actually look like? Matt Brown is author of 11 books for Batsford, including eight titles in the popular Everything You Know... series of mythbusting books. He has served as editor and editor-at-large of Londonist.com for many years, writing on topics as diverse as street art, politics, map-making and science. With a deep love of trivia, he's written and hosted hundreds of quizzes, including events for the Museum of London, London Eye, Royal Institution, Royal Society and Manchester Science Museum, among many others. All of his books use humour and playfulness as tools to explore the world. He is tweeting at @mattfromlondon. A map like this can never be complete. London's fictional space is all but infinite. We've started the map with over 700 locations, but much remains to be added. The maps also include fictional infrastructure, such as the great sea wall round LA from Blade Runner 2049, and the anti-Kaiju wall of Sydney from Pacific Rim. You'll also find the routes of fictional car chases, speedboat pursuits in Venice, the pilgrimage path of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and much more. Fictional London mapped Inner LondonAdditional thanks to: @brugeoise, Phil Douglas, @Joost, Tom Joyce, TomO, Kahani, Chris Roberts, Jay Roches, Melvyn Windebank and Marie-Claire Wyatt. This beautiful picture book is perfect for reading before bedtime to set up your child for imaginative dreams while they sleep. Or read this book before they head off to the land of make-believe for lots of playtime inspiration. From Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot to the superhero land of Wakanda, from Lilliput of Gulliver’s Travels to Springfield in The Simpsons, this is a wondrous atlas of imagined places around the world. Locations from film, tv, literature, myths, comics and video games are plotted in a series of beautiful vintage-looking maps. Atlas of Imagined Cities: Who Lives Where in TV, Books, Games and Movies. by Matt Brown, Rhys B. Davies and Mike Hall is out now from Batsford.