There's a galaxy of globes out there.
Celestial globes map stars and constellations. Lunar globes depict the craters, seas and mountain ranges of Earth's moon. Terrestrial globes, the most common type, represent the world's continents, countries and cities. All show places in small spheres, making them feel within reach.
"Globes symbolize possibilities," said Andy Newcom, Hallmark's home decor expert, who accessorizes his Kansas City, Mo., house with globes. "They signify seeing new places and things, and meeting new people."
Newcom likes how globes look grouped together on a shelf or table. Their round shape unifies a collection, even though their styles and sizes may vary wildly.
Replogle, one of two American globe manufacturers, makes more than 120 models. They range from an old-school 12-inch blue-ocean desk globe with a plastic base ($35) to the 32-inch "Diplomat" floor globe, featuring 10-color cartography, touch-on illumination, more than 20,000 place names and a handcrafted mahogany cradle ($8,500). And between, there's a globe to suit almost any personal taste.
"Manufacturers have definitely revived globes, making them more stylish in recent years," said George Glazer, a globe enthusiast who has a New York store specializing in old globes. In the late 1950s globes became more utilitarian; desk globes were set on tin stands and floor globes looked as if they belonged in a dusty library corner.
Glazer admires globes because they're useful, scientific instruments. If it's noon where you are, you can set a globe's time dial (the metal disc on top of a globe) to noon facing your global location. The other numbers on the dial show what time it is around the world.
Glazer also appreciates the details of globes before World War II. The former American globe manufacturer Weber Costello produced black-ocean globes with art deco chrome airplane bases. The airplane globe reflected a fascination with aviation and travel, and featured principal railways, shipping lanes and short-wave radio stations. Their sleekness complements modern decor.
Some companies have begun reproducing old globes. Restoration Hardware's catalog and Web site, restorationhard ware.com, sell copies of Weber Costello globes with the world boundaries of 1921. The blue-ocean map gores are applied by hand. The globes rest on ebonized rosewood stands accented in nickel-plated chrome or bronze. An 8-inch globe sells for $79, a 13-inch version for $179.
