World Island. Persuasive World War Two map. Richard Edes Harrison. Fortune 1943

£230

SKU: P-7-019877

'World Island - A Fortune Map'


This January 1943 map by Richard Edes Harrison is grounded in Sir Halford Mackinder's 1904 Heartland Theory— considered the founding moment of geopolitics as a field of study —which asserts that control of central Eurasia, the "Heartland" of the "World Island," is essential for global dominance. Harrison applies this theory to the strategic landscape at this pivotal moment of World War II, emphasizing the importance of the Orthographic projection for its visual clarity and its ability to centre the "World Island" as the focal point of the geopolitical struggle. Known for his mastery and use of unconventional projections, Harrison explicitly rejects the Mercator projection as "a dangerous map to use in studying global strategy." The map’s colour scheme uses a gradient from red to black, to indicate a spectrum from from Allied control, through influence to neutrality and Axis-held regions, making the Allied encirclement strategy visually clear. Within this framework, Harrison underscores the strategic importance of the Soviet Union’s threat to the Axis from the east and the significance of averting the threat to India from German and Japanese forces in 1942.

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Size 54 x 67 cm | 21.0 x 26.5 inches

Date Published: January 1943

Type: Vintage colour persuasive map

Author: Harrison, Richard Edes

Publication: Fortune Magazine

Fortune Magazine January 1943 Volume XXVII. Number 1

Condition: Good |

Good; suitable for framing. Please check the scan for any blemishes prior to making your purchase. Please contact us if you would like to arrange to view this map. This is a folding map. There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain

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Good

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