Michael Layland

Michael's life has been maps: making them, collecting them, studying them. After training in topographic mapping, he did fieldwork in such diverse places as Cyprus, Arabia's Empty Quarter, the Seychelles and the Outer Hebrides. He has also lived and worked in various countries in Latin America for over twelve years. He has been interested in the history of exploration and early cartography for over forty years and has assembled an extensive personal collection of maps and travel accounts. He has been writing a book on the exploration history of the Amazon region and has lectured and had several articles published on this topic. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and the Society for the History of Discoveries, among others. Michael now resides in Victoria, Canada and is a keen birder and wildlife photographer.