Maps make my heart go pitter-patter. Old ones make me go weak in the knees. I don’t have a great explanation for it, but a map is just one of those things that sets my design-eye wide with admiration, and my imagination running wild with stories and ideas.

Today I’ve got three maps for you, courtesy of the magnificent David Rumsey Map Collection (map lovers, take note).

Joseph Nicolas de L’Isle, Mappa Generalis Totius Imperii Russici, 1745. From the First Atlas of Russia, published by Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia. Full map here.

John Thomson and D. McKenzie, A Comparative View of the Heights of the Principal Mountains of Scotland, 1832. Published by John Thomson & Co., Edinburgh. Full map here.

Ignace Gaston Pardies, Star Map Plate 2: Cetus, Aquarius, Andromeda. etc, 1693. Paris. Details here.

Psst: February’s online Open Mic is this week! Submit your work-in-progress prose or poetry piece today and tomorrow, and get feedback from your fellow writers on Wednesday for a 24-hour feedback frenzy!