Paper Trails

Cameron Blevins has created a masterpiece with this blend of niche history and spatial analysis. The use of spatial data to drive an investigation into the functions of the early post office allows for a top-down perspective on how the institution was able to operate so effectively. Paper Trails also provides an excellent insight into the day-to-day lives of settlers and how their interactions were shaped by this institution. I appreciated the nuanced look at how this system effectively encouraged settler colonialism and the destruction of indigenous peoples. This is an essential book on human geography in my library and a wonderful introduction to the field of spatial analysis.