A nation of map addicts - Mike Parker

Britain takes its maps very seriously indeed. From the mighty Ordnance Survey to the lowly A-Z, Bartholomews pioneering colour contours to Beck's iconic tube lines, from odometers and theodolites to today's digital wonderland, our cartographic prowess has been the bedrock of who we are as a nation - both for better and worse.

In a lively and fully illustrated talk, Mike Parker, author of the classic book Map Addict, will take us on a tour of some of our finest and favourite maps, as well as looking at the controversies and oddities often buried deep within them. 

About the speaker

"No-one maps the secrets of the UK quite like Mike Parker," said Ayesha Hazarika recently on Times Radio.

Parker’s books take his sense of place as their starting point, and mix in memoir, history, identity, politics and belonging. They include the bestselling Map Addict, its popular follow-up The Wild Rover, the cult Neighbours From Hell? and the lavishly illustrated Mapping the Roads: Building Modern Britain.

He has also written and presented numerous TV and radio series, including On the Map for Radio 4, and for ITV Wales, Coast to Coast and Great Welsh Roads. For the past eight years, he has been working on a loose trilogy.

Two books have so far been published: On the Red Hill (2019), an evocation of the queer rural, won the 2020 non-fiction Wales Book of the Year, and was runner-up for the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing.

Next was All the Wide Border (2023), an examination of the England-Wales frontier as a line on the map, a line through history and a line in our heads. It was named by Waterstones as one of the ten best travel books of the year.

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

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Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org