The Earth Pressed Flat is the seventh album by 10,000 Maniacs, released in 1999.

The album contains nine songs that had been written for, but not used in, the band's previous album, Love Among the Ruins: "The Earth Pressed Flat", "Once a City", "On & On (Mersey Song)", "Somebody's Heaven", "Cabaret", "Beyond the Blue", "Smallest Step", "Time Turns" and "Hidden in My Heart".

Dennis Drew wrote "Ellen", "Glow", "Smallest Step" and "Rainbows".

John Lombardo wrote "The Earth Pressed Flat", "Once a City", "On & On (Mersey Song)", "Beyond the Blue" and "Time Turns".

Lombardo, Mary Ramsey and Rob Buck shared writing credit on "Somebody's Heaven".