William Rankin is a historian of science at Yale University, where he focuses on the history of mapping and the geographic sciences. Born and raised outside Chicago, he was originally trained as an architect before receiving a dual PhD in the history of science and architecture from Harvard. In addition to his work as a historian, he is also an award-winning cartographer, and his maps--available at www.radicalcartography.net--have appeared in numerous books, magazines, and exhibits around the world.