Progress in Human Geography has been a key conduit for the advancement of cartographic theory and practice over the past 40 years, pub- lishing both original papers and progress reports that discuss leading-edge cartographic thought, technological developments, and empirical works of the time. In total, 36 papers with an explicit focus on cartography have been pub- lished in the journal, 17 of which are reproduced in this virtual issue. Collectively, the papers pro- vide a fascinating historiography, told through multiple voices, into the development of carto- graphic theory and praxis since the early 1970s. This period has been one of great theore- tical and technical ferment, with several con- ceptual perspectives being developed and employed in an effort to better understand maps and mapping, and rapid technological develop- ments transforming the ways in which maps were created and employed, including digital cartography, geographic information systems, and the geoweb.