M&D reading supplies

[Joe Varo]

On Tue, 8 Apr 1997 Dkipen at aol.com wrote:

> Dear communicants,
> 
> Just a dispatch from the mists of Lineland. If any of you are going as crazy
> waiting for the Book as I was for my review copy, might I suggest passing the
> time with Dava Sobel's "Longitude." I might be lost if I hadn't read it a
> while back, and I wish I'd read it even more recently. Any other supplemental
> reading suggestions out there?
> [...]

Well, I'm gonna guess that "Longitude" has something to to with the
history of cartography.  Now, can you tell us why this book might help out
with the reading of M&D, without of course, giving away too much of M&D
itself.  Did you find it helpful with respect to historical background?
Technical information?

A book about cartography sounds like pretty dry reading to me, so before I
go hunt it down, some more details would be appreciated.

Joe