Google Ancient Places to map books

A new Google project is being run in conjunction with the Open University, the University of Southampton and the University of California. Its aim is to allow users to visualise works of literature that are all linked by a particular era or a particular geographic location.

An element of Google Maps, Google Ancient Places will allow users to search for works according to when and where they were written. It is hoped that the project will spur an interest in history and even archaeology as well as offering those already involved with a useful tool.

Google have committed a million dollars to 12 projects that are all involved with what the company describes as ‘digitised literature’, defining that as:

“… use of quantitative techniques to analyse large amounts of literature and identify trends over selected periods of time, by language, by geography and by topic.”

Another of the 12 projects is being run at Magdalen College, Oxford by Dr Alfonso Moreno. Its aim is to index translated European literature from the period between 1701 and 1917. There is also a project analysing Victorian literature, looking for vocabulary trends.