NORMAN J.W. THROWER

Professor Emeritus Norman J. W. Thrower died on September 2, 2020 at age 100. He is perhaps best known for his book entitled ‘Maps and Civilization – Cartography in Culture and Society’”—a survey of the history of mapmaking. The book, entering its fourth edition, has been translated into multiple languages, including German, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese. It chronicled the interplay between map technology and the evolution of society. Bringing together maps from antiquity to the present, the book describes the innovations on cartography that have influenced the course of history, and, in turn, historical trends that have spurred the development of new kinds of maps. Dr. Thrower gave presentations to the WMS in December 1985 and April 1997 (meeting summaries appear in Portolan issues 6 and 40). For an excellent story of his contributions, see https://discoveryhistory.org/project/norman-j-w-thrower/ .