This book is filled with short intriguing chapters, each chapter focusing on an important period of history. It starts with the Middle Ages / Renaissance and ends with culture and the world right after the fall of the Berlin wall. The chapters are divided by topics/countries like “Cervante’s Spain”, “Washington Irving’s Europe” or “London in the 1890s”. It is especially great if you have some of the books at hand and start rummaging through while leafing through the atlas. Its a great book if you learn about the background of the authors, the cultural history and how the books influenced their respective generations.

It is a beautifully little gem filled with interesting colourful maps, photos and illustrations, a perfect gem to loose yourself in. I especially like it when I go on a trip, to check out the literary sightseeings and things to do and which novel to pack.

I really would love an updated or extended edition from the 1990s to now.

Maybe I didn’t come across it, but I haven’t really seen anything like the „Atlas of Literature anywhere else. Do you know of a similar book?

Check out Judith Schalansky’s „Atlas der abgelegenen Inseln“ for more maps and another wonderful book to get lost in.