Combining 50 rare, beautiful, and diverse maps of the Commonwealth of Virginia from the collections of the Library of Congress, informative captions about the origins and contents of those maps, and essays on state history, this book is a collectible for cartography buffs and a celebration of Virginia for residents, former residents, and visitors.

In a sense, the State of Virginia was born not on June 25, 1788-when it became the young nation's tenth state-but on the day this great land was first depicted on a map. Over the centuries, each such map has become yet another precious link not only in the history of the state, but also in the ever-evolving "Virginia" as imagined by its residents and, more broadly, by the rest of America. Virginia: Mapping the Old Dominion State through History provides a fascinating journey into the past of the Old Dominion State through gloriously detailed maps from the Library of Congress. Edited and with a foreword by renowned photo editor and author Vincent Virga, it also includes compelling historical essays by writer and Virginia native Emilee Hines. Together, these further weave the visually stunning cartographic record into a drama of settlement and change. Mapping States through History is the first series to assemble-in full color, state-by-state-an in-depth collection of rare, historically significant maps of the cities, states, counties, towns, and events that make up each of America's fifty states. Produced in collaboration with the Library of Congress, it offers an extraordinary glimpse into the history of the United States through the maps and their narrative captions, as well as Vincent Virga's foreword and historical essays by local writers. Each map thus becomes a virtual time machine that tells us much about the places we live in today. Also available California: Mapping the Golden State through HistoryColorado: Mapping the Centennial State through HistoryTexas: Mapping the Lone Star State through History