Jacques Bertin's Semiology of Graphics Republished by Esri Press
Classic Text Provides Theoretical Foundation for Information Design in Cartography
December 14, 2010
Semiology of Graphics
Redlands, California—A foundational work in information design and visualization, Semiology of Graphics by Jacques Bertin is the most recent title from the Esri Press Classic Series. Originally published in French in 1967, the book is based on Bertin's practical experience as a cartographer and provides the first cohesive, analytic theory of graphic representation. It is an essential reference for cartographers, graphic designers, illustrators, and geographers.
Semiology of Graphics is an unprecedented attempt to synthesize the principles of graphic communication with the logic of standard rules applied to writing and topography. The book includes more than 1,000 maps and diagrams to illustrate and examine graphic techniques including shape, orientation, color, texture, volume, and size.
Bertin writes, "Cartography is fast becoming the most practical comparative basis for integrating and reducing the vast reaches of modern information. If the geographer seeks to define a domain in terms of space in order to discover regions, and if the historian seeks to define a domain in terms of space and time in order to discover civilizations, the cartographer can be said to use space in order to inform us about all conceivable domains."
This new English edition includes an epilogue written by the author shortly before his death. It details the historic development of the book and speculates on the impact of modern technology, such as geographic information systems (GIS), on information design.
Bertin (1918–2010) was a world renowned authority on the subject of information visualization. In 1954, he founded the Cartographic Laboratory of the École Pratique des Hautes Études, part of the University of Paris, and in 1957 he was named its director of education. In the late 1970s, he became head of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique.
Semiology of Graphics (ISBN: 978-1-58948-261-6, 460 pages, $79.95) is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.
Through its Classic Series, Esri Press preserves important scholarship in the field of cartography by republishing seminal texts that are no longer in print.
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About Esri Press
Esri Press publishes books on GIS, cartography, and related topics. The complete selection of GIS titles from Esri Press can be found on the Web at www.esri.com/esripress.
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