Today is The Map Room’s 22nd anniversary. It’s also the final day of its membership drive, which as of the time of this writing is just three members short of the goal.

To mark those occasions, I’ve written something as an exclusive for those members: The Boy Who Couldn’t Get Lost, an essay about the origins of my rather personal relationship with maps.

Looking back, it seems clear that I have always had an obsession with knowing exactly where I was, at all times. No trip would be undertaken without having a map of the destination, even when I was a child. Every time I’d go to a summer camp, I’d have made a map of the grounds by the time I was done. And even into adulthood, not having a map of where I was made me very, very uncomfortable.

Also features dragons. Again, you’ll need to be a paid member to read the essay. And if we reach the target, paid members will also get access to my presentation on fantasy map design.