Abstract
The author, a collector of large-scale atlases of United States cities, reviews the production history of fire insurance and real estate atlases. The past and contemporary history of the principal publisher of fire insurance atlases, Sanborn Map Company, is treated, together with a detailed reading of the characteristic features of a Sanborn map. Recent microform publication of fire insurance maps have made these materials widely accessible; suggestions are made for their use in this format. Collecting the original atlases is a rewarding process. Most effectively used in coordinatio with other graphic and textual resources, the atlases clarify city patterns and increase one's understanding of the urban environment.