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World Atlases
and Books about Maps
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Hammond World Atlas: Fifth Edition
Excellent new edition of a respected atlas. Divided into Thematic, Satellite, and Map sections, the latter contains about 200 pages of high-quality maps. Most of the maps use shaded relief to show the form of the land, and color tints make it easy to distinguish major elevation levels. As with many atlases, there is a western European bias, in that these regions are portrayed at a larger (more detailed) scale than other parts of the world, even most parts of the US and Japan; and the latter are represented by larger scale maps than those showing Africa and South America. Within related areas of the the Map Section are pages of informative text and photos both useful and gorgeous; for example, there are two pages in the East Africa section with photos of over two dozen species of mammals accompanied by information on geography, climate and conservation issues.The thematic section includes such topics as the 2004 south Asian tsunami disaster, Hurricane Katrina, "plate tectonics, volcanism, the solar system and the universe, along with trends and insights about population, global climate change, and species diversity." The Satellite Section includes outstanding imagery from space which further illstrate concepts presented in the thematic section.
As stated by the publisher, the atlas is "designed for optimum practicality and ease of use, the atlas offers quick access to information in a number of ways. Find places and features efficiently with the detailed master index, the handy locater map end sheet, or the quick reference guide. The innovative design allows you to chart a seamless course around the globe: arrows guide you to the page that continues your progress in the desired direction." (Actually, that's a feature that has been used by many road atlases for years, so it's not new; but a good feature to have all the same.)
The book also contains a statistics section which enable you to quickly access facts; area and population of each continent, longest rivers, and highest mountains, for example. The section includes a Countries of the World subsection with national flags and facts. As you would expect of a quality atlas, place names are indexed, and not only is the page number provided, but a key to where on the map the place can be found.
One way to judge the accuracy of an atlas is to review areas one is familiar with and see if there are any mistakes. I scanned the California and Arizona map pages and didn't find any. (I did find some minor things which are not up-to-date: The slightly expanded boundaries of Pinnacles National Monument are not shown though the expansion took place in 2000, and the greatly expanded boundaries of Petrified Forest National Park, which I think took effect in 2006, is not shown either, though some recent road maps show this.) Overall, I rate this as the best world atlas I sell.
Hammond, dated 2008 (published 2007). Atlas sections separately paginated: Thematic Section, 64 pages; Satellite Section, 48 pages; Map Section, 346 pages; 11 x 14½ inches, hardcover book. New.
Item #622. Shipping weight: 8.0 lbs. Publisher's price: $59.95. Your price: $54.00
National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World
In the following description from the publisher, keep in mind that the maps do not dominate the publication, and most of them are small thematic maps. Do not expect a comprehensive work where you could look up every little town (or even every large town, if they are close to other cities) in the world. The quality is outstanding, but "concise" is correct. Many smaller-format (but thicker) atlases have more detailed maps. This one does not provide maps of individual countries, but shows them in the context of whole continents.The Publisher's description:
"With more than 300 maps, charts, graphs, flags, and illustrations, National Geographic has captured a complete portrait of the world in one compact, highly accessible, and value-priced volume. Pulling from its vast resources, National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World provides up-to-date, thoroughly indexed, political and physical continental maps, as well as new world thematic maps covering the structure of earth, tectonics, climate, oceans, population, religion, energy, and economy. Informative, intriguing, and incredibly easy to use, this volume is the ultimate geographic reference for every home and office.
"National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World visually portrays the important aspects and issues of the current world in an appealing arrangement. Each continent—and the United States—is mapped with political boundaries and corresponds to a comprehensive place-name index of more than 10,000 towns, cities, and countries across the globe. Likewise, full-color physical maps enhance and enrich readers' understanding of the Earth's natural features, such as mountain ranges, lakes, plains, deserts, and rivers. Country profiles provide flags and valuable facts for all 192 independent nations of the world. Key information is provided about time zones, metric conversions, and geographic terms.
"With state-of-the-art maps and an accompanying index that makes seeking new facts quick, easy, and fun, National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World is a great value and the perfect reference tool. 300 maps, graphs, charts, flags, illustrations."
National Geographic Society, 2003. 127 pages, 10 x 13½ inches, paperback book. New.
Item #320. Shipping weight: 2.5 lbs. Publisher's price: $24.00. Your price: $21.60 (out of stock)
John P. Snyder and Philip M. Voxland, An Album of Map ProjectionsU.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1453
For the map connoisseur or professional cartographer, this work is a treasure trove. It gives about 70 examples of world map projections, plus several others used to show large portions of the world. The projections are arranged by general type: cylindrical, pseudocylindrical, conic, azimuthal, and miscellaneous. The examples show the latitude-longitude coordinate grid at 15E intervals with shorelines which delineate the edges of the continents and major islands. In addition, “distortion diagrams” are given for most projections; these show the grid of the projection without shorelines 
but with “Tissot indicatrices” instead which show at a glance the amount of distortion on each part of the map. Accompanying text for each projection describes properties, origin, and uses of each. At right is a sample of part of the page which shows the Robinson Projection.
but with “Tissot indicatrices” instead which show at a glance the amount of distortion on each part of the map. Accompanying text for each projection describes properties, origin, and uses of each. At right is a sample of part of the page which shows the Robinson Projection.A 24 page appendix gives the mathematical formulas needed to recreate the projections. A glossary, index, and abbreviated list of references are also included.
U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989. 249 pages, about 11½ x 9 inches, paperback. New.
Item #21. Shipping weight: 2.2 lbs. Publisher’s price: $23.00. Your price: $23.00
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