Google Maps Mashosphere Trend: "Book Maps"

There is an emerging trend coming out the "Google Maps Mashosphere" lately that sees a small collection of book and literature related Google Maps applications quietly being created. I'm calling them "Book Maps". It's an interesting marriage of books and maps, facilitated by the Google Maps API and some mashup creativity. The topics of these new maps mashups range from online book browsing tools, maps to find books (shops and libraries) and even maps that geo-plot characters and events from works of fiction. I've assembled all the maps I can find (new and existing) so you can explore this phenomenon for yourself...

TopCityBooks is a geo-lense on Amazon.com - This mashup uses Google Maps to assemble the most popular books from the world's biggest cities in the world. Pins are spread around the world Google Map for 150 cities and lists the most popular books from the Amazon database in 8 subjects. For example, when you click on the pin for Boston you learn that the most popular book in the History category is "Johnny Tremain (Yearling Newbery)" while "Phantom Gourmet Guide to Bostons Best Restaurants" ranks as the top title in the Travel category. Other categories include Literature, Art, Cooking, Entertainment and Business. This is a unique way to geographically browse for book titles using a Google Maps mashup! [Found via ProgrammableWeb.com]

The Google Maps Atlas of Fiction - A great book maps concept which is best described from the site itself: "..Even writers of fiction often set their stories in real places. From Dickens' London to Joyce's Dublin to the New York of Edith Wharton and Henry James, great writers have borrowed the associations and resonances of real-world places to lend color and depth to their works. The Atlas of Fiction uses the Google Maps interface to show these locations. You can use it to get new insight into the geography of your favorite writer's works; or you can see what writers have drawn inspiration from your own home town, and maybe even your own street."

Bookwormz maps indie bookshops - Bookwormz is a new mashup of a user driven database that contains listings of independent bookstores throughout the USA. To see it in action, enter the infamous US zip code "90210". Contains details of the shop and provides links to Google Maps directions and user comments. Enabling the satellite viewing toggle option would make this service even better for people looking to visit these shops. [Found via ProgrammableWeb.com]

Littourati Blog - Blog description: "Literature often describes places we are curious about, regardless of whether we know them or not. This blog maps the journeys laid out in selected books and offers reflections corresponding to the various stops. Happy traveling!" This is facilitated by this Google Map (and the Littourati Blog)

Data Mining 101: Finding Subversives with Amazon Wishlists - This blog post maps publicly accessible Amazon Wishlists to plot readers of various controversial titles. It's a very thought-provoking post.

Library Maps:

Find a Library in the US and Canada
UK Library Map
San Francisco Library Map
Chicago Library Map
An Illinois Library system Google Maps routes

((Do you Digg it?))