Although people have always gotten lost, a closer look reveals that the problem of getting lost has not always been perceived as equally serious, and the facilitation of orientation has not always been promoted with the same urgency: getting lost and finding one's way have their own history. This history of orientation is explored in this book; it is essentially a history of the last 250 years. Around the mid-18th century, hikers, travelers, and writers began to address the terrible experience of getting lost and its conditions; at the same time, solutions were devised and continuously improved. The institution of the signpost is the most striking means, undergoing remarkable transformations from its human-like initial form with a pointing hand to the modern arrow and guidepost.