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How to put maps in my document like authors do in books?

Well in some books you always see a sort of map for a specific location. I'm writing a book so I just wanted to know can I just copy a map from Google or something that pinpoint the location I'm looking for.

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  • Anonymous
    4 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    The maps which appear in most works of fiction depict fictitious lands, which obviously wouldn't appear on any real maps. They are usually included to give readers a frame of reference for the places where the events in the story take place. Examples include the maps of Middle Earth which appear in Tolkien's books and the maps that appear in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire." There's no real reason to include a map if you're dealing with real locations. For instance, rather than including a map of Europe, you could include the actual name of the city or town, or simply opt to say that the setting can be found "along a bend of the river Esk", "100 kilometers south of Paris", "on a small islet, deep in the woods of Eastern Finland", etc. Many readers won't have any problem understanding, and those that do can consult their own maps to pinpoint the intended locations. While some authors opt to include a map in their books, it's often included for historical context or because the reader might need to have a clear understanding of where areas that factor heavily into the plot are located in relation to one another. Nearly every map that can be found - both political and topographical, is copyrighted and cannot be reproduced in another work without permission. While there are maps which are not copyrighted, they are usually outdated or less detailed than the others available.

  • 4 years ago

    No, you can't use Google maps, or anybody else's maps. They are copyrighted.

    Since no cartography business owns the layout of streets, rivers, etc. you can hand-draw a map--but it's a rare book that benefits from maps.

  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    No, you can't "just copy a map" from anywhere UNLESS the person or corporation that created it has given you permission, or has waived its copyright and put the map into the public domain. What do you think "COPYright" means, anyway?

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