My fascination with maps goes way back. I think it may have something to do with a particular piece of household apparatus. Whenever I was sick, I'd spend the day in Mother and Father's bed, where I'd be set up with a folding bed tray on which to place food, beverages and whatever it was I was playing with. The surface of the tray was a US map. Staring at that thing all day must have had something to do with it. At some ridiculously young age I was able to rattle off all the state capitals, to the bemusement (or resigned toleration) of any adult who became my target.

Here you see me at age 8 not watching the TV or playing with that neat model MG sports car, but spread out over a gigantic set of world maps tracing foreign countries.