The Four Points of the Compass transport an eccentric woman in her

an eccentric woman in her sixties

since it was far too risky to reveal her real name)

naturalists' field notes crammed with intricately painted chameleons and caterpillars

You will not thank me

Mahatma Gandhi

The Four Points of the Compass transport an eccentric woman in her'The Four Points of the Compass' takes the reader on a journey of directional discovery. Jerry Brotton reveals why Hebrew culture privileges east; why the Renaissance Europeans began drawing north at the top of their maps; why the imperial Chinese revered the south; why the Aztecs used five colour coded cardinal directions; and why no societies, primitive or modern, have ever orientated themselves westwards, the direction of darkness. He ends by