Mapping London: Making Sense of the City is a beautiful, compelling anthology of over six centuries of London maps. The book is a cartographic journey through the city, tracing its fascinating evolution and exploring the hopes and fears of its inhabitants as events unfold. Mapping London is lavishly illustrated with over 150 maps—from the earliest Roman and Saxon maps, contemporary town planning, literary imaginings and utopian prophecies through to the renderings of artists and comics—as well as its timeless icons such as the London Underground map and Monopoly board. These maps reveal much more about London than the cartographers themselves can have envisaged and provide enthralling insights into events including the Great Fire of London, the Plague and the Industrial Revolution. London's more recent history is also investigated, including the two world wars that have irrevocably changed the city and the redevelopment planned by architects Terry Farrell, Rem Koolhaas and Richard Rogers.

Mapping London is divided into thematic sections that consider the historical, political, social and geological implications of the maps and what they reveal about the metropolis and its citizens. The maps are allowed to speak for themselves as Royal charters nestle alongside futuristic visions, sanitation maps and tourists guides.