Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada (Creating the North American Landscape) [Paperback]

John C. Hudson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Creating the North American Landscape | Publication Date: February 8, 2002

Based on decades of research and written in clear, concise prose by one of the foremost geographers in North America, John C. Hudson's Across This Land is a comprehensive regional geography of the North American continent.

Clearly organized, the book divides the entire United States and Canada into six major regions, then further subdivides them into twelve smaller areas. Hudson emphasizes each region or area's distinguishing place-specific attributes, including—to a larger degree than previous regional geographies—political considerations. In this way, the book tells the story of each region, relying on a brisk narrative that reveals the dynamic processes of their distinctive characteristics.

The first extensive regional geography of the North American continent in over seventy-five years, Hudson's Across This Land will become the standard text in geography courses dealing with Canada and the U.S. as well as a popular reference work for scholars, students, and lay readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This fact-packed, well-organized and felicitously written book goes miles beyond the mere recitation of state capitals. Drawing upon his nearly 30 years of teaching university-level geography, Hudson offers a comprehensive history of the geological, agricultural, topographical, industrial, social and political development of the United States and Canada.

(Northwestern 2003)

The delicious historical details are interspersed with sweeping generalizations that capture the essence of each region and sub-region... It's such good reading and such a valuable resource that Across This Land is an essential book in the personal library of any well-read American or Canadian.

(Russell S. Kirby Wisconsin Magazine of History )

A well-written story of a land and people, enhanced by photographs taken over a 20-year period. The narrative is tied to a series of fascinating and uncluttered maps, which enable readers to relate place and circumstance... This regional study of the geography of North America is as comprehensive as it is excellent.

(Choice )

A readable and informative volume that is not limited to one phase of geography, but which includes the physical, historical, economic, human, and political aspects of the topic.

(American Reference Books Annual )

Extensive emphasis on the history and politics of each region makes it unique and outstanding. The book offers a new direction for teaching the regional geography of the United States and Canada.

(James C. Saku American Review of Canadian Studies )

An elegantly written and concise regional geography... The result accomplishes the best intent of regional geography—to shape the character of the whole through careful description of its parts.

(Michael Steiner Annals of Iowa )

This book is a genuine tour de force. Light years ahead of existing textbooks, Across This Land is a true regional geography that will benefit anyone who reads it.

(John Fraser Hart, University of Minnesota )

Book Description

Regional treatment of geography of the U.S. and Canada highlighting what makes each region distinctive

(2003)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 504 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (February 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801865670
• ISBN-13: 978-0801865671
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,176 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Education & Reference > Atlases & Maps > Canada
  • #79 in Books > Education & Reference > Atlases & Maps > Atlases
  • #94 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Earth Sciences > Geography > Regional

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Across This Land, A Comprehensive View of North America, October 24, 2008

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Gary Cummisk - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada (Creating the North American Landscape) (Paperback)

If one wants to comprehend the geography of North America, John C. Hudson's book ACROSS THIS LAND is a good stating point. Hudson breaks North America (the United States and Canada) down into twenty-seven sub-regions. The book is a comprehesive geography in that it explores the scope of the field, from physical geography to the realms of culture, economics, and history. To understand the contemporary landscape and the forces that shaped it, one must look into the past. Hudson's analysis is well-written and engaging. I use this book, which is written for a general audience, as a text for my course in Geography of North America at Dickinson State University.