Customer Reviews

The Macmillan World Atlas with CD-ROM

5 star:		(5)
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3 star:		(1)
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I collect atlases in a modest way and this is the most disappointing one I have ever purchased. The satellite pictures were a novelty on publication (although not now) and the context outline at the top right of each righthand page is an idea worth copying, but the style of cartography only works for large areas of vacant land. The maps of Western Europe in particular are incomprehensible even with a magnifying glass. In one map for example the name LONDON is printed on an opaque yellow background that entirely eliminates an area of land some sixty miles by fifteen - none of which is actually in London itself. It is in parts more of a low-resolution road atlas than a genuine geographical work.

What makes the this fine atlas so special is that it covers the whole world's landmass at exactly the same (generous) scale. True, it is not very useful for the most densely populated parts of the globe such as Western Europe or Japan, but coming from Australia I appreciate that there is no such thing as 'vast areas of vacant land' - all land deserves detailed mapping. To further my local example, the MWA covers Australia in ten detailed pages whereas a typical British or American atlas would see fit to cover the entire continent in two pages at best. This atlas is highly recommended to all map lovers as it both puts all parts of the world into proper perspective and covers most parts of the world in better detail than any rival.

i've reviewed a number of atlas'and the key element in my opinion is the detail and ease of finding the place you wish to locate. the features in this atlas are excellent. cartography is excellent. the only downside is that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the borders of some countries because this atlas does not use childrens style color-coded countries. it views the world as it is...large land masses with intermingling countries and provinces.

overall, the quality is the best i've seen for an atlas under $50.

Our planet is beautifully presented in this large and accurate, handsomely bound world atlas. The CD-ROM allows you to print custom maps and measure any feature.

Bertelsman Cartograph Institute/GeoData created The MacMillan World Atlas from a database of fully digitalized cartography. This atlas features uniform scale throughout the world with a special section in closer scale, (at 1:2.25 million scale), for the United States and southern Canada. Included are 288 pages of precise computer maps and 28 extraordinary satellite photographs, featuring spectacular satellite images of rivers, glaciers, deserts and deltas. The maps are colored realistically and altitudes are depicted through shading and the use of gradated color within individual ecological zones.

This is one of the most attractive and accurate atlases I have owned. The detail is excellent and the CD-ROM is very useful in printing all kinds of customized maps. Given the quality of this atlas, the price is right! Highly recommended.
JANA

Yup, its an atlas! I find the detail great and it is really easy to find the city or country that you are looking for. It has only one minor drawback, and that is sometimes the lettering covers up some of the detail. But, in my experience this occurs a lot less than in other atlases.

This Atlas will be a worthwhile contribution to your library. It's terrific. I refer to it not only with travel but in business. Great Value!