Maps on Vinyl is a unique atlas of 415 album covers by renowned Australian cartographer Damien Saunder. Superbly reproduced, expertly laid out and accompanied by thoroughly researched text, his book is conceived and designed to appeal to vinyl junkies, music fans, artists, designers and, of course, map enthusiasts.
Damien Saunder's expertise has been utilised by Apple, National Geographic, Earth (the world's largest atlas) and even Roger Federer. A keen crate-digger, he has amassed possibly the world's most extensive private collection of records featuring maps on their covers, resulting in this one-of-a-kind book.
Maps on Vinyl features albums by artists including Madonna, Oasis, Coldplay, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, XTC, MC5, Queen, New Order, James Brown, Brian Eno and Weezer, with cover art created by many giants of the design world, including Peter Saville, Curtis McNair, Richard Gray, Alton Kelly, Stanley Mouse, Neville Garrick, Roger Dean and Pedro Bell.
The records headlined span music from 1939 to today, and the book is divided into eight chapters highlighting different aspects of the collection: 'C(art)ography', 'We Built This City', 'On the Road', 'African Beats', 'Astroworlds', 'Ocean Whispers', 'Maps with Attitude' and 'Music from Here'.
Maps on Vinyl is a beautiful artefact and an important historical and cultural document, revealing how maps have been used in album cover design to reinforce a lyrical story, share a political view, express concern for the state of the world or creatively identify the origins of the music and the people who make it.
Cart Publishing, 332pp, 26cm x 30cm, illustrated hardcover, 2025
