Maps and curiosities with Edward Brooke-Hitching

When Edward Brooke-Hitching published his beautifully illustrated book The Phantom Atlas in 2016, he set in train a whole series of books that explore the curiosities, myths, quests and blunders that underpin the way we look at history, geography, literature and art. 

Join us as Ed shares with us how he chooses his subjects, finds the maps, paintings and other artefacts that are at the heart of his books and how he uses them to tell such fascinating stories that delight readers around the world. 

Edward Brooke-Hitching is the author of bestselling non-fiction titles that include The Madman’s Gallery (“A feast of artistic curiosities” – Daily Telegraph), The Madman’s Library (Sunday Times Literary Book of the Year 2020), The Phantom Atlas, The Devil’s Atlas and Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports. A former QI Elf (fact-finder and scriptwriter for the BBC TV show QI) and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, he lives with his dog Annie Jump Cannon in a dusty heap of old maps and books in Berkshire, where he gardens poorly and practises sword-swallowing even less successfully.