Geography - History and Concepts: A Student's Guide [Paperback]

Arild Holt-Jensen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0761961801 | ISBN-13: 978-0761961802 | Edition: 3rd

Totally revised and updated, the Third Edition of this bestselling textbook is the definitive introduction to the history, philosophy and methodology of human geography. The book is organized into five sections: an historical overview of the discipline and an explanation of its organization; an examination of geography from Antiquity to the early modern period; an analysis of paradigm shifts and the quantitative revolution; discussions of postivism, empiricism, structuration theory, realism and postmodernism; and finally an introduction to core themes and concepts in current geographical thought including space, place and feminism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Second Edition:

`Wide ranging, well composed, and especially well balanced, as a good student's guide should be' - Professional Geographer

`Arid Holt-Jensen has written a useful textbook in geography, viewed both as a disciplinary text and as a learning tool. Both students and instructors will benefit from this work.' - Norwegian Journal of Geography

Language Notes

Text: English, Swedish (translation) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd; 3rd edition (May 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761961801
• ISBN-13: 978-0761961802
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A model text, January 7, 2000

By 

Birger Hjørland (Bagsværd, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Geography (Hardcover)

This book is now out in a third edition (SAGE Publications, 1999). It is a book about geography, but I review it as a model on how an author in one of the (social) sciences can analyze his discipline in a philosophical way. ------ The book presents different philosophical positions such as positivism, marxism, structuralism, realism and poststructuralism in a clear way and describes how such positions have influenced the development of geography. In my opinion such philosophical analysis of (social) sciences are rare, but extremely important. I whish I knew of similar qualified books in all other domains. Such books shows that sciences are built on assumptions, that can be questioned and they help developing critical thinking.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful and thorough look at Ge, October 29, 2004

By 

A. Freed (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Geography - History and Concepts: A Student's Guide (Paperback)

This book starts each chapter with a nearly intangible discussion of the philosophical aspects of geography for the respective period, then gets into very good summaries of the period, its key players and concepts. Its also sprinkled with great examples of work that illustrates research at the various periods which help cement the concepts.

I expect this will be a useful reference for those time when I forget the difference between structuration theory and realism.