TOM HARPER

Tom is curator of antiquarian mapping at the British Library, responsible for the Library's printed and manuscript mapping up to 1900.


Background info ...
I studied History and Art History at Birmingham University before working for a London-based antiquarian map dealer for seven years. I joined the British Library in 2007. 

My main interests are in the mapping of towns, celestial cartography, and the artistry of maps. I have written on, amongst other things, atlas title-pages and the history of the British Library's map collection, and curated an exhibition on the Elizabethan mapmaker Augustine Ryther in 2008. 

Along with Peter Barber, I co-curated the major exhibition 'Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art', which runs until 19 September 2010, and co-authored the book to accompany the exhibition.