When Medieval maps showed the Orient at the top, travelers would face east to read the map, giving rise to the term to "orient" oneself.

So it is today, as Chicago opens one of the most comprehensive map shows in history, that each of the hundreds of maps from around the world will orient readers to its own perspective.

Early European maps depict the New World's east coast only. A Chinese map in a mountainous region emphasizes the topography rising dramatically. A map from the South Pacific, made of sticks and seashells, indicates the currents rather than islands.

As part of the Festival of Maps, these rare artifacts will be on display at more than 30 cultural institutions at various times into next year.

The centerpiece of the show, "Maps: Finding Our Place in the World" at the Field Museum, illustrates the many forms that maps take.

Objects on display include a Babylonian clay tablet from the 15th century; the first world projection by Gerard Mercator; and three maps by Leonardo da Vinci, including one never before seen in the United States.

The Newberry Library, which helped put together the Field exhibit, will also host two more shows of rare maps.

One will highlight the work of Claudius Ptolemy, an ancient Greek astronomer. His catalog of 8,000 positions by longitude and latitude was rediscovered centuries later and used for exploration during the Renaissance.

The other show, "Mapping Manifest Destiny," shows the march of European settlers across America, from the first speculative maps to a map showing potential routes for the first transcontinental railroad.

More amusing artifacts include a map of the imaginary world of J.R.R. Tolkien and an original map of Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood.

Other items range from illuminated gold leaf maps from the Vatican, to a map drawn on a glove, to Eskimo carvings on driftwood.

The Adler Planetarium will also get in on the act, displaying the history of mapping the heavens, from the earliest Earth-centered renderings to the latest satellite images of deep space.

Bob Karrow, curator of maps at the Newberry, hopes the show will attract map-lovers and those who've never thought much about maps.

"I hope they'll see things they had no idea were out there," he said, "and things they never would have thought were maps."

Festival of Maps

What: hundreds of maps from around the world and throughout history

Where: More than 30 cultural institutions, including the Field Museum, Newberry Library, Adler Planetarium, Chicago History Museum, University of Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute of Chicago

When: Various times from today into next year

Cost: Varies by location

Information: www.FestivalofMaps.com