It was just nine years ago that author and map collector Derek Hayes first captured the imagination and interest of the Pacific Northwest with the publication of Historical Atlas of the Pacific Northwest. After seven more atlases ranging from the Arctic, Toronto and the entire United States, the British Columbia native has returned to his home ground with the publication of the Historical Atlas of Washington and Oregon.

Once again Hayes uses maps to explore our region’s history: “...the explorers, the fur traders, the promoters and the missionaries, the gold seekers and the engineers; the settling of the Willamette and the founding of Seattle, the campaigns against the Indians, the coming of the railroad, and the building of a road system. Here are the tales of the leveling of Seattle and of the fight against saloons in Portland; the schemes and dreams of bridge and canal builders and city planners; the making of atomic bombs and the plans for evacuation of our cities; the defining of a boundary and the building of an empire.”

In this beautiful new work, Hayes selected 551 period maps most in color and from a wide variety of sources including exploration maps, survey and engineering drawings, maps used to advertise goods, tourist maps and military maps. Most are historical maps, including a 1507 world map from Martin Waldseemuller, and a map of Washington state used on a 1936 postage stamp; but contemporary maps are also included such as the map showing Washington’s railroads in 1991.
Published by the University of California Press, this book is destined to be one of the most popular gift books this season. ~Patti