This book is a follow-up to Joan Dawson's earlier book The Mapmaker's Eye, which shows how early maps of Nova Scotia reflect the province's establishment under first French, then English colonial rule. The present book looks at Nova Scotia's continuing development in the nineteenth century, first as a British colony then as a member of Confederation, as reflected in the many different types of maps made for various purposes during the century.

Any map or history enthusiast will be fascinated by Nova Scotia's evolution from a colony of military outposts and subsistence farmers to an increasingly industrial society. Early in the nineteenth century, maps reflected the settlement that was still taking place, the roads being built to link the settlements, the increasingly sophisticated defenses that were being constructed, and the attempts to identify the resources on which development would depend. In the second half of the century maps began to change, depicting the development of industries, the establishment of railways and shipping lines, and the growth of towns where enterprising manufacturers and merchants were setting up businesses. Throughout The Mapmakers' Legacy, Dawson examines and explains the many maps that illustrate this evolution. This is a unique and captivating account of Nova Scotian cartographic history.