The Globemakers

The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft

By: Peter Bellerby

Narrated by: Simon Ludders

Bloomsbury presents The Globemakers by Peter Bellerby, read by Simon Ludders.

“Beautifully conceived and skillfully executed . . . encourages the reader to linger and explore." —The Wall Street Journal

“Peter Bellerby’s tale of learning how to fashion worlds—a journey through history, science, craft, and passion—spun me on my axis.” —Dava Sobel, New York Times bestselling author of Longitude

The story of our globe and the globes it has inspired, told from inside the workshop of one of the world’s last globemakers.

Many of us encounter a globe as children. We find a grown-up and ask, “Where are we?” They spin the globe and point to a minuscule dot amidst a massive expanse of sea and land. Thousands of questions follow. A profound convergence of art and science, a globe is the ultimate visualization of our place in our galaxy and universe. To be a globemaker requires a knowledge of geography, skilled engineering, drawing, and painting, and only a few people in history have ever really mastered the craft.

When Peter Bellerby set out to make a globe for his father's eightieth birthday, after failing to find a suitable one to purchase, he had no idea where the process would lead. He went on to establish Bellerby & Co, one of the only artisan globemakers in the world. The Globemakers brings us inside Bellerby’s gorgeous studio to learn how he and his team of cartographers and artists bring these stunning celestial, terrestrial, and planetary objects to life. Along the way he tells stories of his adventure and the luck along the way that shaped the company.

The Globemakers is an enlightening exploration of globes, or “earth apples,” as they were first known, and their ability to show us ourselves and our place in an infinite universe.©2023 Peter Bellerby (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

What a great story!

The story and the narration are both great. I’ve felt vaguely disappointed that globes seem to have been downgraded into just toys. I’m very glad to learn that someone is picking up this art again despite all the frustration of reinventing it.

A great nonfiction story

This book is full of information and the personal experience of the globe maker from Bellerby & Co

What a great book

I enjoyed this immensely. It combines history with crafts, and walks us through some ingenious problem solving. I loved it.

Interesting book about a fascinating company!

I’m a fan of the beautiful and accurate globes produced by Bellerby and Co. I will own one someday soon. I enjoyed learning more about Peter Bellerby and his team of artists.