Customer Reviews

National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, Second Edition

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this product for two high school aged relatives. The maps are excellent and the information is clearly presented. For the cost, I thought it was an excellent value. Be aware that this is not a very thick volume and as it is paperback, I'm a little concerned about how it will hold up under H.S. and college use. As a home reference, I would rate this as excellent.

This is a great Atlas depending on what you're looking for. I'll make it simple for you:

1) If you're looking for an Atlas with detailed maps including many different cities in different countries all around the world, DO NOT BUY THIS.

2) If you're looking for an Atlas with a great deal of general knowledge, including maps with just the big cities, BUY THIS.

I was looking for an Atlas to help myself get acquainted with the world. While I did stumble across a couple cities that weren't on the Atlas that I was puzzled about, I did find nearly every major place of interest on the maps. The vast majority of the Atlas contains other things-- geographical maps (no cities), all the different country flags and statistics, etc.

This Atlas should receive a fairly high rating if you buy it for the right reasons. Buy it for the wrong ones, and it will not offer you what you want.

This book gives a lot of demographic information with charts and comparative maps spread over 160 pages. In reality, there are only 6 pages of actual physical maps (one for each continent) with skimpy information. Just a few cities are marked for each country. Definitely not recommended as a reference atlas.

In the age of Google Maps, GPS navigation, and the ubiquitous access to the satellite imagery it may seem that the good old geographical atlas has become an anachronism. However, for the old-fashioned amongst us, and for all those who still enjoy the look and feel of hardbound books, holding, leafing and analyzing an actual atlas is still an irreplaceable experience. Fortunately, the book publishers don't seem to have given up on this particular "genre," and a casual stroll through your local bookstore will provide you with innumerable options in this regard. I have always been partial to the maps in the National Geographic magazine, so I could not be more than happy with this particular atlas. Its very large format is ideal for map presentation - it makes browsing maps at all levels of detail very convenient. The atlas is filled with useful information on all (almost) all of the World countries. (It is an inevitable consequence of the global politics that every few years a new country or two are born.) The numerous maps mostly focus on geomorphological features, although political divisions are also presented. One thing, however, that this atlas is not particularly suited fro is planning of a road trip - lack of clearly presented roads and railways will not help you when making your travel plans. My only concern with this atlas (and it is a significant one) is that the paperback format is not the best suited for a reference work. I am concerned how durable this atlas may prove in a long run.