Customer Reviews

National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This atlas is a wonderful reference tool (many thematic maps) as well as a very entertaining browse. The beautiful, colorful maps in combination with the accompanying photographs virtually transport you from your armchair into the far away land - more than a traditional atlas page does. And the 14-page section on Space is the best illustration of the solar system and the universe I've seen published. Great visualization!

I work in a public library and finally found the atlas I want to own. This is a gorgeous book. There are multiple maps for a single area to enhance our understanding of what makes up the geography of our wonderful world.

My family have been thinking to buy this book for quite sometime. We compared this side by side with other atlas books and It has better graphics, bigger pictures, more detailed information than other books available in the shelf. I love the solar space info. The planet pictures are in superb quality. Other books are ok but the decision was made when I saw the detailed information in each country not only it demographics but as well as its historical facts and heritage sites. Its like an encyclopedia all in one. Not boring to look at, its not just full of maps, graphs and globe records. Lots of beautiful pictures of wonders of the world. This is going to be a family heirloom, the book itself is already magnificent in appearance. I like the cover slide protection. So easy to use. Well worth the money even though it was not on sale when we bought it for $100.00 *sigh*

National Geographic does it again! The pictures and maps are of the highest quality and the atlas is a wonderful addition to our library. The only thing I could suggest that would make it better is to have individual maps of each state. Otherwise, it was a welcome Christmas gift for my husband.

I bought this as a gift for my father-in-law and he loves it! He found informative and easy to use. He loved the illustrations/pictures!!

Oxford New Concise World Atlas: I received this book as a replacement for the National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World, which was huge and had too many photos for my needs. I appreciate that Amazon made the suggestion for a different book after I returned the Nat'l Geographic book with comments. The first book was beautiful but I practically needed a wheelbarrow to transport it. The smaller one is perfect and the maps are detailed and concise. I like the clear political borders and the topography. Also, there are photos in the front of the book (instead of around the maps, which made the maps smaller) and an excellent index in the back. Thanks, Amazon!

This Atlas is excellent to me, in that the subject matter is clear and concise, plus beautiful pictures... I am happy to own this book with all of its' features and information.

Such a great atlas with highest resolution maps of every region. Glad to have it, but wait for the price goes down. I payed $45 for a new one. Then it raised to $63. I am sure the price will go down again!

We had a very old Nat'l Geo Atlas and my husband said "it sure would be nice to have an up to date atlas". I paid attention and what a great Christmas gift! He loves it and it is beautiful!!

Wow. I read the reviews and thought I would like this huge book, but I had no idea just how much. I opened it this afternoon, and no kidding...I was stuck in that same spot for an hour just turning page after page. It was like, "LOOK at this! And THIS! Did you know THIS?" The photographs are so detailed and spectacular.

I was expecting typical Atlas info and in a large format, but what I was so pleasantly surprised with is the type of data the book includes.

- World Heritage, Natural Heritage, Cultural Heritage, Mixed Heritage, Most Visited Heritage...
- World maps of languages, religion, military strength, energy, food, education, trade
- Major landform types, land covers, oceans, plate tectonics...
- The section on climate is awesome - I really like how climate change is addressed. Very factual, not biased, good information that makes you think.
- Space, Continent-specific pages, and more...

All not just in WORDS, but in PICTURES - and BIG pictures, with easy-to-understand graphs, charts, BRIGHT COLORS and photographs!

What I like best is how everything is presented visually. For example, on the Economy spread, you see right away, just by LOOKING (as opposed to READING) how the United States compares to eight other world economies in # of automobiles, cell phones, income, literacy, women in the workforce.

For anyone who prefers a more visual approach to data, (like many do) this book is PERFECT. My plan is for my son and I to take a page-a-night for the next year or so and go through it together.

FYI - Due of the nature of the book, obviously you would want the most up-to-date edition possible. My copy, ordered Jan, 2012 was published in 2009 and contains data to mid-2008.

Bottom line: So much MORE than just an ATLAS of magnificent photos - the WEALTH of information and how it's presented for ease of understanding are what really makes this book special.