Join us in welcoming Diccon Bewes will discuss his new book on Swiss maps and culture, a great book for youth and adults alike!

From Diccon Bewes about Cartographica Helvetica!

Maps. I love them (though you probably know that already if you’ve read Around Switzerland in 80 Maps). But why settle for one map book when you can have two? So I wrote another one.

This one is very different. Instead of old maps, it’s packed with brand new colourful ones, specially created for the book by Dina Christ and Nicola Carpi. They also drew all the wonderful pictures and infographics that supplement each of the 20 maps in the book.

The book is arranged thematically, with chapters covering everything from Swiss history to inventions, native animals to trains, climate change to clocks, women’s rights to what we eat. Six regional maps at the end showcase the highlights of every canton.

As for the title? Well, that had to work in all three language versions of the book (English, French and German) so in true Swiss style we went with a Latin title: Cartographica Helvetica, or CH for short. I wonder where we got the inspriation for that?

A book for anyone aged 8 and up, so not only for children, even if they are the main audience as it answers questions curious young minds might have. It’s an entertaining and memorable journey through every corner and canton of this diverse country at the heart of Europe.

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Diccon Bewes grew up in (old) Hampshire but left as soon as he could. An 18-month world trip set him up for a career in travel writing, though he took the scenic route via bookselling. He has spent the last 17 years in Switzerland, where he's been grappling with German grammar and tasting as much chocolate as possible. His first book, Swiss Watching, became a No1 bestseller and he recently published Cartographica Helvetica, his eighth book on Switzerland.

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Note: This event is in-person and masks will be required of all children and adults ages 2 and older. Children MUST be accompanied by an adult during this event.