'My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said!' Maps not only show the world, they help it turn. On an average day, we will consult some form of map approximately a dozen times, often without even noticing: checking the A-Z, the road atlas or the Sat Nav, scanning the tube or bus map, a quick Google online or hours wasted flying over a virtual Earth, navigating a way around a shopping centre, watching the weather forecast, planning a walk or a trip, catching up on the news, booking a holiday or hotel. Maps pepper logos, advertisements, illustrations, books, web pages and newspaper and magazine articles: they are a cipher for every area of human existence. At a stroke, they convey precise information about topography, layout, history, politics and power. They are the unsung heroes of life: Map Addict sings their song. There are some fine, dry tomes out there about the history and development of cartography: this is not one of them. Map Addict mixes wry observation with hard fact and considerable research, unearthing the offbeat, the unusual and the downright pedantic in a celebration of all things maps.In Map Addict, we learn the location of what has officially been named by the OS as the most boring square kilometre in the land; we visit the town fractured into dozens of little parcels of land split between two different countries and trek around many other weird borders of Britain and Europe; we test the theories that the new city of Milton Keynes was built to a pagan alignment and that women can't read maps. Combining history, travel, politics, memoir and oblique observation in a highly readable, and often very funny, style, Mike Parker confesses how his own impressive map collection was founded on a virulent teenage shoplifting habit, ponders how a good leftie can be so gung-ho about British cartographic imperialism and wages a one-man war against the moronic blandishments of the Sat Nav age.

Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance Survey

Parker, Mike

Travel

Collins

'My name is Mike and I am a map addict. There, it's said…'
Mike Parker, presenter of Radio 4’s On the Map, celebrates the richness of all things maps in this fantastic, critically-acclaimed read.
Have you ever got through an entire day without referring to some kind of navigational aide, be it checking the A-Z, touring the globe on Google Earth, planning a walk or navigating a shopping centre? Maps are everywhere and they are, according to self proclaimed map-addict Mike Parker, the unsung heroes of life. Here he sings their song, celebrating everything cartographic.
With a mix of wry observation and hard fact, the offbeat and the completely pedantic, Parker wages a one-man war against the moronic blandishments of the Sat Nav age. He combines cartographic history and trivia with memoir and oblique observation to create a highly readable exposé of the world of maps. Only here can you find out which area has officially been named by the OS as the most boring square kilometre in the land and whether Milton Keynes was really built to pagan alignment.
Confessing that his own impressive map collection was founded on a virulent teenage shoplifting habit Parker ponders how a good leftie can be so gung-ho about British cartographic imperialism and establishes himself as defender and saviour of British cartography in the internet age.

Map Addict: The Bestselling Tale of an Obsession

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

William Collins

Mike Parker, bestselling author of Map Addict, is back with a brilliant, intelligent and witty exploration of a glorious and passionate British subject - footpaths and our rights of way. Mike discovers how these paths have become part of our cultural landscape and why, at the tender age of 44, he suddenly finds himself at a crossroads. Provocative, funny and personal, this book celebrates Britain's unique and extraordinary network of footpaths. It examines their chequered and surprisingly turbulent history, from the Enclosures Acts of the eighteenth century to the 1932 Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout in Derbyshire; and from the hard-won post-war establishment of great National Trails like the Pennine Way to the dramatic latter-day battles by the likes of Nicholas van Hoogstraten and Madonna to keep ramblers off their land. The story ranges far and wide, to all corners of the country and beyond, and is filled with the many characters that Mike engages with along the way - the poets and artists, farmers and ramblers, landowners and Rights of Way officers and campaigners, historians, archivists and anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it). with along the way - the poets and artists, farmers and ramblers, landowners and Rights of Way officers and campaigners, historians, archivists and anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it).with along the way - the poets and artists, farmers and ramblers, landowners and Rights of Way officers and campaigners, historians, archivists and anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it).with along the way - the poets and artists, farmers and ramblers, landowners and Rights of Way officers and campaigners, historians, archivists and anyone else who crosses his path (or even tries to block it).

The Wild Rover

Reference

Atlases & Maps

All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between

A funny, warm and timely meditation on identity and belonging, following the scenic route along the England-Wales border: Britain's deepest faultline. There is a line on the map: to one side Wales, small, rugged and stubborn; the other England, crucible of the most expansionist culture the world has ever seen. It is a line that has been dug, debated, defined and defended for twenty centuries. All the Wide Border is a personal journey through the places, amongst the people, and across the divides of the border between England and Wales. Taking in some of our loveliest landscapes, and our darkest secrets, this is a region of immeasurable wonder and interest. It is there that the deepest roots and thorniest paradoxes of Britishness lie. The border between the countries, even as a concept, is ragged, jagged and many-layered. Garlanded author Mike Parker has adored and explored these places his entire life. Born in England but settled in Wales, he finds himself typical of many in being pulled in both directions. His journey is divided into three legs, corresponding with the watersheds of the three great border rivers: the Dee in the north, the Severn in the centre, the Wye in the south. Neither quite England nor Wales, the furzy borderland he uncovers -- the March -- is another country. A hefty schlep from everywhere, these are A. E. Housman's 'blue remembered hills' -- his 'land of lost content' -- and ours too. Picking apart the many notions and clichés of Englishness, Welshness and indeed Britishness, Mike Parker plays with the very idea of borders, our fascination with them, our need for them, and our response to their power. In his hands, England-Wales border is revealed to be a border within us all, and it is fraying, fast.

History

Europe

HarperNorth

A Waterstones Travel Book of the Year 2023 A funny, warm and timely meditation on identity and belonging, following the scenic route along the England-Wales border: Britain's deepest faultline. There is a line on the map: to one side Wales, small, rugged and stubborn; on the other England, crucible of the most expansionist culture the world has ever seen. It is a line that has been dug, debated, defined and defended for twenty centuries. All the Wide Border is a personal journey through the places, amongst the people, and across the divides of the border between England and Wales. Taking in some of our loveliest landscapes, and our darkest secrets, this is a region of immeasurable wonder and interest. It is here that the deepest roots and thorniest paradoxes of Britishness lie. The border between the countries, even as a concept, is ragged, jagged and many-layered. Garlanded author Mike Parker has adored and explored these places his entire life. Born in England but settled in Wales, he finds himself typical of many in being pulled in both directions. His journey is divided into three legs, corresponding with the watersheds of the three great border rivers: the Dee in the north, the Severn in the centre, the Wye in the south. Neither quite England nor Wales, the furzy borderland he uncovers -- the March -- is another country. Picking apart the many notions and clichés of Englishness, Welshness and indeed Britishness, Mike Parker plays with the very idea of borders: our fascination with them, our need for them, and our response to their power. In his hands, the England-Wales frontier is revealed to be a border within us all, and it is fraying, fast.

Describes the unfortunate individuals who have been labelled freaks, like the Elephant Man, Siamese twins, and others who have been born with a grotesque physical disadvantage. The book discusses the lives these individuals led, and the way they were treated by their contemporaries.

The World's Most Fantastic Freaks (World's Greatest)

Bounty Books

Signed or indie; beginner or seasoned pro; whether you are an artist, author, actor, promoter, or even a church hosting an event - you have something, or someone, that needs to be promoted.
That someone might even by you!
Whether your platform is national or local, chances are the lion's share of the promotional activity will be on your shoulders. In today's ultra-competitive marketplace, Christian creatives must be heavily involved in in promoting themselves and their works.
You CAN build your business and develop your career...without selling your soul!

Shameless Self Promotion: and Networking for Christian Creatives

Martin, Torry

Parker, Paula K.

Religion & Spirituality

WordCrafts Press

When The Adventures of Tom Sawyer first appeared in 1876 it was a dismal failure, selling fewer than 24,000 copies during its first year on the market. It wasn't until Mark Twain published his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that Tom Sawyer truly gained an audience, perhaps due to the rapscallion's brief appearance in that novel.
Tom Sawyer, perhaps even more than Peter Pan, is the icon for eternal boyhood. Whether playing hooky from school, exploring the depths of a cavern, romancing a fair maiden, hunting for buried treasure or even attending his own funeral, Tom is an endearing composite of brash American confidence, unbridled enthusiasm and fresh-faced naivety, and he is certainly one of Mark Twain's most memorable characters.
Although Twain gained his initial reputation as a newspaper reporter, his was a storyteller at heart, winning fans with his sparkling wit and keen observations of human nature in such popular tales as The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County and A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court. It is fitting that Twain himself should be a primary character in bringing Tom's story to life on the stage in playwright, Mike Parker's, delightful adaptation, Mark Twain Presents The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Mark Twain Presents The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: a stage play

Arts & Photography

Performing Arts

WordCrafts Theatrical Press

World's Most Fantastic Freaks

Octopus Bks.

The story of Britain's road development—graphically and beautifully illustrated on our maps—is also the story of its political, economic, and social history. And the car, more than any other single factor, has shaped our landscape and changed our maps. Busy, bustling, often creaking at the seams, most of us have a love-hate relationship with our roads. Like it or not, our modern lifestyles depend on them—not only for getting from A to B, but for the distribution of almost everything we buy. Yet once upon a time, the building of roads was seen as a glorious and heroic enterprise. Britain's motorways—"the cathedrals of the modern world"—are the ultimate expression of our modern age. From the old ways to the motorways, Mapping the Roads charts the ambitions and hopes of the nation through our maps.

Mapping the Roads: Building Modern Britain

AA Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Parker, Mike. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Parker, Mike

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Parker, Mike. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Map Addict: A Tale of Obsession, Fudge & the Ordnance Survey

Map Addict: The Bestselling Tale of an Obsession

The Wild Rover

All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between

All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between

The World's Most Fantastic Freaks (World's Greatest)

Shameless Self Promotion: and Networking for Christian Creatives

Mark Twain Presents The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: a stage play

World's Most Fantastic Freaks

Mapping the Roads: Building Modern Britain