I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Steven Poole has had his book Trigger Happy available as a free download. While I greatly appreciate the sentiment being expressed here, I doubt this act of altruism will make the book any better.

I know I am way late to the party on this book, but I’ve been busy and it is clear that ELSE / WHERE: MAPPING isn’t getting the attention it deserves. I’m not calling out my beloved Digital Media program, but there are a number of classes where this book should be a core reference and it isn’t even listed in supplemental reading.

That being said, I’ve found that the problem isn’t that people don’t know about this book. The problem is that people can’t find it. ELSE / WHERE was published in an extremely limited run by the University of Minnesota Design Institute. Not to besmirch the Design Institute, but this book really belongs in the MIT Press catalog…or at least that level of distribution.

I’m loving what I’m reading so far. My only criticism is that editors Janet Abrams and Peter Hall have a tendency to be a little meek in places. Here’s an example from the intro:

This book contends that mapping is an increasingly vital activity, one that undergirds diverse disciplines and transcends the supposed physical/digital divide. It is the conceptual glue linking the tangible world of buildings, cities and landscapes with the intangible world of social networks and electronic communication.

Personally, I would have upped the ante:

Mapping is an essential function. From animal to human, from infant to elderly, there is a fundamental need to understand the space around you, and understand yourself in relation to that space.

Anyway, that’s just me. I’ve also acquired a new favorite phrase from the book:

…playful psychogeographical meanderings through urban space.

I love that quip, but my usual rants directed at urban bias in this sphere apply.