Book Maps

My new year’s resolution for 2017 was to read a hundred books that year, and in doing so it occurred to me that I’d virtually travelled to a lot of places whilst reading them. I thought it would be an interesting idea since then to sketch some of these fictional and non-fictional places as a way to try out new ideas for illustrated maps.

Here's a selection of these small maps based on the following novels:


This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell
Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou
The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Hidden Nature by Alys Fowler
Tequila Sunset by Sam Hawken
Coconut Unlimited by Nikesh Shukla
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Shuttlecock by Graham Swift
Modern Nature by Derek Jarman
Akin by Emma Donoghue
The Death Of An Owl / Paul Torday, Piers Torda
The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain
Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Devizes Indie Shops

An illustrated map of my new home town of Devizes for InDevizes, the directory of Independent shops, eateries & drinkeries, artists & artisans. The website already had a good online map, so this was a way to transfer that information into more of an illustration whilst keeping it usable.

The map needed to work as an attractive illustration by itself as well as part of a colour coded directory available as a download and a printed map to be picked up from the independent retailer network.

The branding for InDevizes has a very bright and cheerful colour palette, so the landmarks worked best with more of a subtle tone, and the brighter colours could then be used to show off the various zones of the town for the directory.

Art direction by Ida McConnell at JacksonMcConnell.


We Are Waterloo Map

A fold-out map of the Waterloo and Southwark area for We Are Waterloo, featuring some of the assets nearby, particularly highlighting parks in the area from the well-known to small ‘pocket parks’ on streets.

The map also features transport links, Greenways, and landmarks such as The Old Vic, The Young Vic, Leake Street and The Vaults.

Art direction by Grace Palmer at LCD.


Country Living "Moving To..."

Country Living magazine is a lifestyle magazine focusing on country-inspired interiors, gardening, recipes, crafts and pets. I illustrate a regular "Let's Move To..." column that sets out the benefit of moving to a different part of the UK. Locations so far have included New Forest, Rural Essex, Pembrokeshire, the Lake District, Devon, North Shropshire and Yorkshire.

Every other month, the feature includes a UK map updated with new illustrations and colours each time to reflect the relevant region, a close-up map of the area discussed and a small transport-themed spot illustration.



The City Law School

An illustrated map of central London for City University students at The City Law School. The map shows the locations of the three university campuses, a selection of iconic London landmarks and the proximity of many top law firms, law chambers and inns of court to the university.

The map was designed to be upbeat and appealing in the prospectus whilst also fitting in a large amount of information – fifteen inns, chambers and law firms, fifteen stations spanning eleven tube lines, overground and Eurostar along with many of London’s well-known buildings and features.


Wanderlust UK & Ireland Map

A colourful illustrated web-based map of the UK and Ireland for Wanderlust Private Tours, who offer tailor-made tours throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

The map has lots of little details including illustrations of the Cliffs of Moher, Dublin, Highlands of Scotland, Loch Ness, Hadrian’s Wall, Lindisfarne, York, The Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Norfolk Broads, Stone Henge and London’s Tower Bridge.


The Independent / Northern Norway Map

An interactive map of northern Norway for a travel feature on The Independent’s website and sponsored by Visit Norway, the Norwegian tourist board.

The map features tiny illustrations for the various cities and landmarks showing the northern lights, cable cars, kayaking, polar bears, ferries, whales and leaping salmon.


Populous Magazine New York

An illustrated map of New York for Populous, the architecture firm designing some of the most well-known sporting stadiums worldwide. Populous Magazine is the company’s magazine to deliver news and features on the theme of drawing people together for sport, culture and business.

This illustration is the second in a series of showcasing cities and their sporting venues, with an accompanying illustrated map. Issue 17 features various important sporting landmarks of New York and the surrounding area.


Peterborough Heritage Festival Map

An illustrated map to guide visitors around the Peterborough Heritage Festival and to show the variety of historical events on offer.

The map was designed to appeal to both adults and children and had very positive feedback, on what was the busiest Heritage Festival yet.


The Unauthorised Biography Of Ezra Maas

A set of hand-drawn illustrated maps for for a new special edition of The Unauthorised Biography Of Ezra Maas by Daniel James. Daniel describes the book in New Writing North that this book is “an unorthodox hybrid of literary fiction, biography and detective story, written by a former journalist and told through a combination of prose fiction, biographical chapters, news clippings, academic footnotes, emails, phone transcripts and more.”

The weathered map illustrations on hotel stationery and scraps of paper show the author and narrator's travels through New York, London and Newcastle all tied together with diagrams and annotations. The book was nominated for the Guardian's Not The Booker Prize in 2019.



If you’d like to talk about a project, you can call me on +44 (0) 7747 305420, or email
hello@laurabarnard.co.uk. I’m based in Devizes, Wiltshire in the UK and my studio hours are Monday to Thursday, 9-4.


© Laura Barnard 2025