The author reviews and contextualizes the extraordinarily rich diversity of manuscripts and printed maps that record the changing political, economic, and social circumstances of an Irish county over nearly five centuries. The flavor of these varied, informative and often colorful maps is captured in over 400 illustrations, among which are reproductions of six early county maps and a unique assemblage of images from the Ordnance Survey `fair plans' of c. 1838-40. With a map record that stretches back more than 450 years, County Laois (formerly Leix and Laoighis, and between 1556 and 1920 officially known as Queen's County) has a distinguished place in the history of cartography in Ireland. This book explores that record, from the first map of c. 1560, covering the eastern part of the county, through to the present century.