MacMillan Color Atlas of the States [Paperback]

Mark T. Mattson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997 | ISBN-10: 0028648897 | ISBN-13: 978-0028648897

Documents important aspects of every state in the Union using four-color maps, charts, and other illustrations. The book devotes seven pages to each state, detailing basic facts, cultural features, climate and environment, history, population and government, ethnicity and education, and economy and resources. Well designed and easy to interpret. A useful feature is the comparisons of the state to its region and to other states. . . for school and public libraries. Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin Using copious color it provides all the information noted and delves a bitdeeper.Rettig on Reference

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Nothing takes the place of a fine atlas. Whether you're on the road, planning to be so, or just dreaming about it, an atlas is ideal for providing a lot of information without requiring a cartful of books. In just a few pages per state you get the goods on location, size, and boundaries, state flag and seal, festivals and events, finances, and the state's population statistics compared to other states in its region. There's a map, of course, with major attractions, national parks, and freeways clearly labeled, and facts on state weather, topography, flora, and fauna. This is all followed by a quick history of the state, myriad population statistics, ethnicity, education, and economics. A map of Arizona, for example, is dotted with little icons of beef, sheep, coal, cotton, fruit, and sorghums, showing not only how much, but also which regions are devoted to which products. Each state takes just seven pages or so to convey this trove of information.

Let's say you're contemplating a move and your kids are in high school. You can learn that in 1990, Massachusetts spent $6,351 per pupil, the mean SAT verbal score in 1991 was 426, and the average teacher's salary in 1992 was $37,300, compared to Kansas, which spent $5,044, had mean verbal SATs of 493, and paid $30,700 to teachers.

There's an enormous amount of information here, but the best part is that it's easy to access and easy to understand. For students, business travelers, and armchair sociologists, the Macmillan Atlas is an exceedingly useful tome, but it's downright required for a family road trip. The map would certainly be useful, but better still the atlas would give the kids something to do while you're looking for the next rest stop. --Stephanie Gold

From Library Journal

A talented cartographer best known for the Atlas of the 1990 Census (LJ 4/1/93) and Atlas of United States Environmental Issues (LJ 5/15/91), Mattson has produced a visually pleasing, fact-filled volume that profiles the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Each state receives seven pages of coverage, including a sizable political map, various smaller special-purpose maps, and encyclopedic text describing the state's history and basic social, political, economic, and demographic conditions. An 18-page section titled "State & Metro Fast Facts" appends additional data. Aimed mainly at students in junior high school and beyond, the atlas offers reliable, objective, up-to-date information. On the negative side, running heads for the states are too small, and Mattson has the disconcerting practice of listing "Major Cities" and their grid locations with each political map but failing to include some of the cities on the map. Overall, a high-quality production, though much of the material can be found in general encyclopedias.?Ken Kister, author of "Kister's Best Encyclopedias," Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company. (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028648897
• ISBN-13: 978-0028648897
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,046,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Key" to happiness and sanity for Travel Nurses!!, October 28, 2000

By 

Robert D Spivey (Corpus Christi, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MacMillan Color Atlas of the States (Paperback)

My wife and I are Travel Nurses for Cross Country Travel and could not go anywhere without our Macmillan Color Atlas of the States! By using it we are able to find out about a possible travel location: what's the climate like, what's the landscape like, what's the cost of living, what taxes are imposed, what's the best way to get there and most of all...What type of activities go on in a certain area(fairs, festivals and national parks). The only thing that we don't like about the book is that we have yet to see an update. But, so far, we have found that the current printing is so concise, that it still plays an accurate part of our planning needs. I would recommend this book to anyone who travels this great nation of ours as well as those who never leave home(we found tons of stuff to do in our own home state that we never new existed).