A biography of the sixteenth-century cartographer Gerardus Mercator, who invented a method of projecting the curvature of the Earth's surface on to a flat sheet of paper.

Behind prison walls -- Days of hunger -- Leaving home -- University life -- Settling problems, learning a trade -- Putting the world on paper -- Most unjust persecution -- History of the universe -- Making the curved earth flat -- Weaving the fabric of the world -- Life and times -- Life at a glance Additional resources -- Glossary -- Source notes -- Select bibliography -- Index -- Image credits.