I finally stopped ignoring criticism about my 1970s road atlas

Tbh, I used to think people who complained about old maps being inaccurate were just being picky. I have this 1974 Rand McNally road atlas I found at a flea market in Topeka for $3, and I loved it because the gas station logos and font gave it character. Then a guy at a map collector meetup last spring pointed out that the highway numbers for Route 66 through Oklahoma were already wrong by 1970 because of realignments. He said it wasn't just a funny error, it made the map misleading for anyone trying to trace the actual route that existed back then. That hit me different because I realized I was treating it like art when it was supposed to be a reference tool first. Now I keep a separate binder with corrections written in pencil alongside the map. Has anyone else had to adjust how they view an old map after getting specific feedback like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_anna5d ago

treating it like art when it was supposed to be a reference tool first" - man, that line really got me too. I have a 1968 USGS topo map of the Sierra Nevada that I bought framed because the hand-drawn hachures and faded blue rivers looked so beautiful on my wall. Then a geology nerd friend pointed out the contour lines were from surveys done in the 1910s and showed glacial features that had receded by like a mile. Now I can't unsee it. I ended up printing a modern topo overlay on tracing paper that I can lay on top when I want to actually use it for hiking planning. Did you end up using a specific pencil grade for your corrections? I've been switching between 2H and HB to keep them erasable but visible.

thomas_roberts5d ago

It's wild how that tension between form and function shows up everywhere. Like, I've got a measuring cup from the 1950s that's this beautiful amber glass with perfect typography, but the markings are in gills and drams, so I literally can't use it for baking unless I do all this mental math.