Amazon.com Review
Rand McNally's
Cosmopolitan World Atlas is a beautiful illustration of what atlases are all about. There are plenty of additional tables providing populations and zip codes for U.S. cities, and statistics on the countries of the world, but the core of the atlas is its maps, and they are splendid. There are 160 full-page color maps that are easy to read, and above all, easy on the eyes (a surprisingly rare atlas quality). Color borders distinguish country from country and state from state, and the topography gradations don't interfere with the clean lines and legible place names.
Cosmopolitan World Atlas is the standard against which other atlases should be compared.
From School Library Journal
The Cosmopolitan claims to be "the only atlas in its class to include individual maps of U.S. states and Canadian provinces." That may be true, but the distinction comes at a price. While the Cosmopolitan's coverage of the U.S. is among the best, its coverage of other parts of the world is uneven. Coverage of metropolitan areas, even in the U.S. and Canada, is also weak. The Cosmopolitan's maps are clear, uncluttered, and easy to read, but once again, there's a price. Roads and other transportation details are minimal, and no relief coloring is used to indicate ocean depths or land elevation. The index has limitations, as well. Relatively small, it is not always a reliable or accurate guide to the maps. Unless your first priority is maps of the states and provinces, the Cosmopolitan is not a first-choice reference atlas.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.