As of January 1st 2026, and after almost 30 years,
'Map History' has been discontinued

It was always a one-person affair and a combination of lagging energy - matched by dwindling information - combined to make it clear the curtain should come down.

Although the site's stated purpose, namely "to find the worthwhile free information about old maps, both on the web and in the real world", will be put to one side, 'Map History' will live on in two ways.

First, there will still be access to almost everything that has appeared in 'Map History', because it has been regularly downloaded on the 'Internet Archive, Wayback Machine', from 2003 onwards.

Second, although the original purpose of 'Map History' as a vade mecum for the history of cartography will cease, the results of my own researches, mostly into Mediterranean portolan charts, will continue for as long as I can.