I remember coming across my first atlas while still growing up. Up to that time, I had a limited notion of place and space - but I was mesmerised by the sheer number of places that were revealed to me by this magic book. I imagined Brazzaville as a lively, energetic place; I wondered what life was like in Ulan Bator; and I reckoned from the way it was shown on the map, they must do nothing but eat and sleep in Montevideo.

One thing I definitely do remember was that there was a real...