History of Empires in Maps with Philip Parker

Philip Parker is coming to The London Archives in Clerkenwell on Wednesday 4 November, for a talk about his latest book, History of Empires in Maps. He's a historian and a Sunday Times bestselling author, and the evening is built around him taking the audience through the book's pages.

If you're not familiar with the title, it does exactly what it says on the tin: it looks at the rise and fall of empires through the maps they drew, used, and fought over. Maps aren't just records of where things are; they're tools of power, claims of ownership, and often a bit of a fantasy. Parker's work traces that thread across different eras and continents, so it's a broad sweep of history rather than a narrow focus on one place or period. Hearing him talk through it in person should give you a better sense of the whole than you'd get from just reading the chapters on your own.

The night is hosted by The London Archives, a free public archive devoted to the history of London from 1067 to the present day. It's open to researchers and the public for regular events and exhibitions, so this fits right into what they do. The archives are located at 40 Northampton Road, EC1R 0HB, in the heart of Clerkenwell.

It runs from 7:00pm to 8:30pm, so it's a mid-week evening that doesn't run too late. Tickets are £30.