Schwartz authored many books on the history of surgery, including Gifted Hands: America's Most Significant Contributions to Surgery, Holystic Medicine – The Patron Saints of Medicine, and The Anatomist, The Barber-Surgeon and the King. What began initially as a hobby, led to significant accomplishments and contributions in the field of cartography. His most notable cartographic publications include The Mapping of America, This Land is Your Land: The Geographic Evolution of the United States, Mis-Mapping of America, and Putting "America" on the Map.