OCTAHEDRAL MAP OF THE WORLD
Compiled by Gene Keyes
[4th edition 2008-04-16; under construction; more uploads TBA. New: item #3; see below.]
B.J.S. Cahill's octahedral Butterfly Map of the World, first published in 1909, is a sadly neglected monument of world map design. This sub-page will gather and present some of Cahill's articles, papers, and map variants. To begin with, I have reproduced his original 1909 article, which, after a strong critique of the prevailing Mercator, sets forth the origin and logic of the Butterfly.
A 33-page followup article from 1912, with 50 illustrations, is also here.
The Gallery is an initial compilation of 25 versions of a Butterfly Map, from 1909 through 2007: Cahill's own variants and development, and more recent octahedrals by others.
Cahill's original Butterfly Map, 1909 *
1) Bernard
J.S. Cahill (1866-1944)
[Wikipedia article begun by GK]
* 2) B.J.S. Cahill, "An Account of a New Land Map of the World" (The Scottish Geographical Magazine, 1909-09) p. 449-469 [reproduced in 21 jpegs] The first publication and exposition of the Butterfly Map.
3) B.J.S. Cahill, "A Land Map of the World on a New Projection" (Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies, 1913-10; orig. 1912-10) p. 153-207 Cahill's longest and most thoroughgoing published exegisis of his Butterfly Map; also includes 50 illustrations, 20 of which are a comparison of various map projections to the same scale using the same size globe-circle for each. Over three decades before Buckminster Fuller’s 1943 Dymaxion map, Cahill had already created a far more elegant octahedral world map, and shown how it is designed for thinking “planetarily”. Article is re-formatted in HTML.
4) List of online items by B.J.S. Cahill. [See #1 above until newer list is posted here.]
5) B.J.S. Cahill's Butterfly Map and Beyond: A Comparative Gallery of Octahedral World Maps [in progress]
* 2) B.J.S. Cahill, "An Account of a New Land Map of the World" (The Scottish Geographical Magazine, 1909-09) p. 449-469 [reproduced in 21 jpegs] The first publication and exposition of the Butterfly Map.
3) B.J.S. Cahill, "A Land Map of the World on a New Projection" (Journal of the Association of Engineering Societies, 1913-10; orig. 1912-10) p. 153-207 Cahill's longest and most thoroughgoing published exegisis of his Butterfly Map; also includes 50 illustrations, 20 of which are a comparison of various map projections to the same scale using the same size globe-circle for each. Over three decades before Buckminster Fuller’s 1943 Dymaxion map, Cahill had already created a far more elegant octahedral world map, and shown how it is designed for thinking “planetarily”. Article is re-formatted in HTML.
4) List of online items by B.J.S. Cahill. [See #1 above until newer list is posted here.]
5) B.J.S. Cahill's Butterfly Map and Beyond: A Comparative Gallery of Octahedral World Maps [in progress]
B.J.S. Cahill, Cartographer
1866-1944
Source: Scanned by Gene Keyes in 2007 from undated duplicate of photo (1930s?) at
Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley, Bernard Joseph Stanislaus Cahill Papers, (83/39)
1866-1944
Source: Scanned by Gene Keyes in 2007 from undated duplicate of photo (1930s?) at
Bancroft Library, University of California at Berkeley, Bernard Joseph Stanislaus Cahill Papers, (83/39)