Every globe tells a story about the world as it was. While globes quickly date themselves, the stories that each one tells help us learn more about our world and how we got to the place we are today.
In The Globemakers: The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft, author Peter Bellerby discusses the process of hand-crafting globes and how he himself decided to make a globe for his father's 80th birthday. While he didn't quite make the birthday deadline, he did start a company out of that project and makes hand-crafted globes of various sizes that are shipped throughout the world. One of his most ambitious projects was a replica of a globe that was gifted to Winston Churchill in 1942.
Globe-making has been around for centuries and was a semi-established craft since the early days of the Renaissance. As printing presses came into greater supply, the ability to produce globes became a bit easier. Bellerby, while discussing the growth of his business, goes into detail about the process of making a globe from start to finish. It requires a patient, steady hand and the ability to paint accurately. Neither of those are traits I possess, but I do possess an appreciation for a great story. The Globemakers accomplishes this with humility and wit.
MY RATING: 5
