Words on the Map

In his newest book of language exploration, Professor Asimov ranges over the whole world, digging up the roots and histories of hundreds of place names from Aachen (derived from the Latin “Hot Springs”) to Zanzibar (“land of the Zenj”). The words on our maps are, after all, but a kaleidoscopic reflection of human history and the book is overflowing with a thousand surprising and fascinating bits of information.
The Roman Caesars, for example, have left their mark in many cities, but who would suspect that New Jersey is named for them; or that the Canary Islands are named not for the birds, but for the wild dogs that lived there? Residents of Iowa may be surprised to learn that the name presumably means a place of “the sleepy ones,” while New Yorkers commemorate the yew tree.
As with the now classic Words of Science, the book is divided into 250 one-page essays, in which over 1500 names are discussed. All of the states and major cities of the U.S. are covered as well as most of the major cities and countries throughout the world along with their mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas. The book is a continuously informative and entertaining, whether you pick it up for five minutes or settle down it it for a whole evening.
Finally, for the curious adventurer who sets out to roam through this volume there are two indexes (one for people and one for places) to help chart the way. Here is a completely different kind of geography that will pique the interest of readers whatever their age.