Map a country and you own it—good as. As Matthew Edney argues in
Mapping an Empire, the British East India Company’s trigonometric surveys of
India 200 years ago combined territorial and intellectual conquest.
“Civilisation” came armed with a theodolite. It is how Britain painted half the
world’s map red. Published by University of Chicago Press in August,
£27.95/$35, ISBN 0 226 18487 0.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
News
Life
Childbirth for many primate species is even harder than for humans
News
Humans
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
Features
91É«ÇéƬ
Your menstrual cycle may affect how well vaccines work
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
2
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
3
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
4
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
5
Childbirth for many primate species is even harder than for humans
6
US government wants to have a useful quantum computer by 2028
7
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
8
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
9
How menopause radically changes the brain – and what happens after
10
Europe’s heatwave is the hottest and most humid ever
