Black, Jeremy. Maps and Politics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997.
Maps and politics have been interconnected since the dawn of mapmaking and imperial conquest. This book makes a strong case for the political power of maps. Black buttresses his commentary with an abundance of illustrations.

Buisseret, David. ed., From Sea Charts to Satellite Images: Interpreting North American History Through Maps. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990.
This is a collection of works by historians, geographers, and map librarians who discuss how to use maps in teaching and research. The topics covered range from the European Antecedents of New World mapping to Aerial Imagery.

Harley, J.B. The New Nature of Maps: Essays in Historical Cartography, ed. Paul Laxton. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2001.
This is a posthumously issued collection of the writings of one of the leading scholars of philosophy of cartographic history and the meaning of maps in the last quarter of the twentieth century. See especially chapter 5, "Deconstructing the Map." 

Monmonier, Mark. How to Lie with Maps. 2d ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
This is an easy-to-read guide for what to look for and what to watch out for when you read a map. When you finish this book you will be a far savvier map reader.

Ristow, Walter W. American Maps and Mapmakers: Commercial Cartography in the Nineteenth Century. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986.
Ristow, who retired in 1978 as the Chief of the Map Division of the Library of Congress, brings together in this work commentary on the great variety of maps that appeared in the nineteenth century. This is a good starting point for anyone interested in maps of that period.

Thrower, Norman J. Maps and Civilization: Cartography in Culture and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.
Initially published as Maps and Man in 1972, Thrower's book is a must for students of the history of cartography. Here, in very readable and concise prose, is the story of the development of mapmaking that treats both the scientific and artistic nature of cartography. It contains an extensive bibliography.

Tyner, Judith. "Persuasive Cartography," Journal of Geography 81 (1982): 140-44.
A dated, but concise, guide for keys to how maps can be used to stretch the truth.

Wood, Denis. The Power of Maps. New York: Gilford Press, 1992.
The titles of three chapters in this book explain it well. They are: "Maps Are Embedded in a History They Help Construct," "Every Map shows this...But Not That," and "The Interest the Map Serves is Masked."