Google Maps Books

Juan Carlos Perez of the IDG News Service (Miami Bureau) wrote the other day about "Google users map 'places in books'" :

Google Inc. has started integrating its popular mapping service with its controversial books search engine, to let people plot on maps references to places they find in books. Now, book entries in Google's Book Search may include a section called 'Places mentioned in this book.' The section includes a map from Google Maps with pins indicating places included in the text. Below the map is a list with the name of the places, linked to the pages in which they are mentioned and an excerpt from the text.

Some of the books offered with the new mapping service include:

Around the World in Eighty Days
The 9/11 Commission Report
Girl with Curious Hair
Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure
War and Peace
Bach: A Biography
The Travels of Marco Polo
"A Problem from Hell": America and The Age of Genocide

In the Google Book Search Blog, software engineer David Petrou wrote, "'When our automatic techniques determine that there are a good number of quality locations from a book to show you, you'll find a map on the 'About this book' page. We hope this feature helps you plan your next trip, research an area for academic purposes, or visualize the haunts of your favorite fictional characters."

[resource]