Walter W. Ristow, who was known never to have gotten lost and would have had no excuse if he had — considering he was in charge of more maps than anybody else in the world — died April 3 in Mitchellville, Md. He was 97.

The cause was coronary artery disease, his family said.

Dr. Ristow was head of the map divisions at the New York Public Library, which has more than ...   more »