Virtual Verduria

The Historical Atlas of Almea - Print version

Before the invention of the glorious Internet, the Historical Atlas lay in wait. To speak more accurately, it lay in a binder... a blue binder filled with painstakingly hand-drawn and hand-colored maps, accompanied by painstakingly inkjetted commentary. Yet I was not satisfied, because its aesthetic quality was low, and there was no means of reproduction.

Then came the glorious Internet, and I painstakingly remade the maps in pixellated form and released the Atlas to the world. Yet I was not satisfied, because the screens of computers were small, hindering the reading thereof. After a span of years I rewrote the history and redrew the maps, availing myself of new knowledge of Almea and new artistic resources, yet still the fuzziness molested me, yea, even with anti-aliasing.

At last the gods of technology produced that which is named Print on Demand, and the vision of the Atlas which I had long harbored could be crafted on paper, in the form I had long desired readers might enjoy it. Lo, it is now available in the store called Amazon.

Or get it here for the same price, but with a higher royalty for me. I don't know why it works that way.

Information

What is it?

It's really pretty. It's a 8.5 x 11 inch paperback, full color, 198 pages long, chiefly consisting of In addition there are maps and descriptions of regions outside the base maps: Nan, the Bekkai, Téllinor, and Neinuoi; plus ruler lists for Caďinas, Verduria, Axunai, Xurno, Uytai, and Belesao; and the Timeline of Technology.

The maps (well over 80 of them) have all been re-rendered. They're a nice size (seven inches wide) and sharp. Everything is readable, even with the diacritics I insist on using. And I've gone over the text again; it's astonishing how many little errors the gremlins put in over the years.

The Skourene atlas isn't included.

What's the (gulp) price?

It's $32.95. I know, that's a lot, and I hate asking that much. But the production costs are higher for color printing. And even at that price I had to forego the extended distribution channel, which has a higher price floor.

So ask for it for Christmas. It's sure to amaze and baffle your friends!

Is there anything that's not on the web?

Some illustrations, a few of the maps, the material on Neinuoi, and the Arcélian ruler lists.

I don't expect to sell a lot of these. But if you like Almea, I do think this is the nicest format for reading about its history.

Will it be on Amazon UK etc.?

I'm not sure, as that may or may not be covered by the extended distribution option. You can ship worldwide from the US site. If the cost is a problem, contact me; I can always get a copy and send it myself.
© 2011 by Mark Rosenfelder
 
Virtual Verduria