Introduction -- The Concept: From Ptolemy to Cook -- Arctic and Antarctic regions are not Poles apart -- The Reality: Cook to the International Geographical Congress -- The Heroic Age: Heroes, Legends and Land -- Wings over the Continent: From Wilkins to War -- A Second World War and a New Order of Business -- Antarctica Comes of Age: Windows of the World (1960–2000) -- Post–2000: A new concept of mapping -- Tourism: A different explorer.

Everyone likes maps and maps are always used to illustrate the many books on the Antarctic. Here the focus is reversed with contemporary maps telling the story – one that should be attractive to the widest audience as it is a unique approach complimenting what has gone before and providing something different for all interested in Antarctica.