The Map of Shakespeare’s Shoreditch

Each Saturday, we shall be featuring one of Adam Dant’s MAPS OF LONDON & BEYOND from the forthcoming book of his extraordinary cartography to be published by Spitalfields Life Books & Batsford on June 7th.

Please support this ambitious venture by pre-ordering a copy, which will be signed by Adam Dant with an individual drawing on the flyleaf and sent to you on publication. CLICK TO ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF MAPS OF LONDON & BEYOND BY ADAM DANT

Tickets are already on sale for Adam Dant’s illustrated lecture showing his maps at the Wanstead Tap on Thursday June 21st. Click here to book tickets

Click on the image to enlarge & read the text on the map

Adam Dant conjured this extraordinary vision of William Shakespeare’s Shoreditch, by collating the scraps of information and myth about the landscape of London’s lost theatreland of over four hundred years ago. Here Shakespeare arrived as a young actor in 1585, treading the boards at London’s earliest custom-built theatre, The Theatre at New Inn Yard where subsequently his first ventures as a playwright saw the light of day.

Archaeologist raises a Shakespearian goblet to celebrate the excavation of The Theatre, 2011

Staffordshire figure of Shakespeare on my dresser flanked by Sarah Siddons & Edmund Kean

CLICK TO ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF MAPS OF LONDON & BEYOND BY ADAM DANT

Adam Dant’s MAPS OF LONDON & BEYOND is a mighty monograph collecting together all your favourite works by Spitalfields Life‘s cartographer extraordinaire in a beautiful big hardback book.

Including a map of London riots, the locations of early coffee houses and a colourful depiction of slang through the centuries, Adam Dant’s vision of city life and our prevailing obsessions with money, power and the pursuit of pleasure may genuinely be described as ‘Hogarthian.’

Unparalleled in his draughtsmanship and inventiveness, Adam Dant explores the byways of English cultural history in his ingenious drawings, annotated with erudite commentary and offering hours of fascination for the curious.

The book includes an extensive interview with Adam Dant by The Gentle Author.

Adam Dant’s  limited edition prints are available to purchase through TAG Fine Arts