When I was younger, I adored maps.  (OK, still do.)  At that time, one could check out bound collections of the National Geographic from the local library, and it was the 1920s – 40s collections that enthralled me, because they had maps.  Glorious detailed maps, where there were plenty of empty areas, and the idea that no one knew what was actually there enthralled me.  No one connected with the National Geographic Society, at least.  And one of my favorite such zones was Central Asia.  […]