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The English-language, fully-refereed, journal Imago Mundi was founded in 1935 and is the only international, interdisciplinary and scholarly journal solely devoted to the study of early maps in all their aspects. Full-length articles, with abstracts in English, French, German and Spanish, deal with the history and interpretation of non-current maps and mapmaking in any part of the world. Shorter articles communicate significant new findings or new opinions. All articles are fully illustrated. Each volume also contains three reference sections that together provide an up-to-date summary of current developments and make Imago Mundi a vital journal of record as well as information and debate: Book Reviews; an extensive and authoritative Bibliography; and a Chronicle, the official record for the previous year compiled from the data supplied by National Representatives in 25 countries.

Contributions Manuscripts and editorial communications should be sent to:
Dr. C. Delano Smith, Imago Mundi, 285 Nether Street, London N3 1PD, UK

2005 Winner:
Dr Zur Shalev (PhD Princeton University, 2004), a Visiting Research Scholar, Modern History Faculty, Oxford University, for his article 'Sacred Geography, Antiquarianism and Visual Erudition: Benito Arias Montano and the Maps in the Antwerp Polyglot Bible' Imago Mundi, 55 (2003), 56-80.

For more details on this prize, visit the Imago Mundi Ltd. website at:
www.maphistory.info/imprize.html

What Reviewers say about Imago Mundi 
It is difficult to persuade reviewers to consider a single issue of an annual journal - hence most of those below date from the between the time of the redesign of the annual volume in 1995 under the new editor and the change to twice-yearly publication in 2004. 

'The four volumes published in the last four years have included fourty-four major articles, by forty-seven authors from sixteen countries...Authors have come from nine major academic fields (history of cartography, geography, history, history of art and architecture, history of science, classics, cartography, politics, and social sciences)...The subject matter of articles is wide-ranging, both spatially and chronologically (up to mid-twentieth century) and includes the theory of the history of cartography...Over eighty per cent of items reviewed in the latest issues had been published within the previous twelve months. Nearly one thousand entries were detailed in the bibliographies included in the four volumes...' (Christopher Board, 'Cartographic activities in the United Kingdom 1995-1999', Cartographic Journal 36 (1999) 88-9.)

'An annual, inter-disciplinary journal, with an international reputation and readership, Imago Mundi comprises authoritative papers on the history of cartography...A thoroughly professional publication, both in terms of the quality of the content of the articles, and also in terms of its appearance, Imago Mundi in many ways now more closely resembles a book or monograph than simply an issue of a journal. The editorial work is thorough and all round it is a highly pleasing publication.' (Cartographic Journal, December 1995).

'...substantial articles by an international cast of contributors...The articles reflect an admirable catholicity of interests and geographical and chronological range, from a medieval English world map to nineteenth-century maps of Southern Africa and from Chinese manuscript maps to color printing of geological maps...taking a broad view and welcoming empirical, interpretive, and theoretical contributions alike'. (Mapline, Autumn/Winter 1995/96).

'Despite cuts in library supplies, this is one journal that all academic libraries, both in humanities and sciences, should continue, since its discussions cover so many other fields' (Times Higher Education Supplement, 23 February 1996)

Why your library should subscribe to Imago Mundi
Whether or not your library takes Imago Mundi could be up to YOU! Library committees are often asked to cut less valued periodicals. Please speak up for Imago Mundi. There are many good reasons, you can point out, for retaining, or acquiring it. For instance:

Imago Mundi is the journal of record for the history of cartography and the only international scholarly journal solely concerned with the study and interpretation of maps and mapmaking in any part of the world, at any period.

From the outset, Imago Mundi included the key ingredients of every subsequent volume: illustrated scholarly articles, book reviews, bibliography, and chronicle. The last three elements, which together provide an up-to-date summary of current developments, make it a journal of record. The format of the much-admired Bibliography, under its editor Nick Millea, was established in 1976. It is now provided with three indexes, of authors, places and subjects. Chronicle, an organized listing of personal and institutional news, conferences, exhibitions, acquisitions and map sales, was introduced the following year. The Book Reviews Editors, Dr Ronald E Grim and Dr A.S. Bendall, aim to feature a large majority of titles within twelve months of publication. The journal also carries obituaries, reports and short notices.

The present range of refereed articles (usually 8-10 per volume) makes Imago Mundi a genuinely interdisciplinary journal, of relevance to a growing number of university courses, not only in history and geography but also in related subject areas, such as the history of art, ideas, literature and the sciences. Please ensure that Imago Mundi is brought to the notice of colleagues in other disciplines.

If there is end-of-year spending money, it is possible to acquire a full run of Imago Mundi back to 1935.

Peer Review Policy:
All full-length research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review in the normal manner: by initial editorial screening and by at least two anonymous referees, for whom the author also remains anonymous.