The "new" in the title of this gorgeous, informative atlas suggests the book's position as its own successor; in 1962, church historian Gaustad released the meticulously researched Historical Atlas of Religion in America, which has served ever since as the best resource of its kind. This significantly revised version (whose statistical base takes readers at least up to 1990, and sometimes as late as 1998) delights not only in its 260 full-color maps and 200 graphs, tables and charts, but also in the mellifluous text co-written by Gaustad and Barlow, a theology professor at Hanover College. Each religious group receives extensive treatment, with heightened emphasis on religious newcomers such as Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims; the sections on Native American and African-American religious traditions have also been significantly expanded. The authors note that a picture is worth a thousand words only "sometimes," and take painstaking care to ensure that the maps and charts contained herein illustrate the complexities of religious change over time. Thus alongside a graph showing a meteoric rise in the numbers of Baha'is in America since 1970, the authors point to other charts demonstrating the numeric decline of traditional religions in the same period and postulate that "people often look to alternative religious expressions when more traditional options are languishing." Special maps elucidate denominational predominance be region, the religious affiliations of members of Congress and the proliferation of religious place names, among many other considerations. This eminently useful, visually stunning atlas speaks eloquently of America's history of religious faith. (Jan.) Forecast: This book was one of the most talked-about forthcoming titles at last month's American Academy of Religion annual meeting in Nashville. It will enjoy significant sales in the library market, of course, but also has potential among individual scholars and clergy, to whom Oxford has been offering a discounted promotional price.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
How do you improve upon a classic? This book, which gave scholars a visualization of religions in America as they spread, clustered, shrank, and calcified in certain geographical areas, was a wondrous new tool when it first appeared in 1976--owing partly to the novel representation of information that had previously been relegated to narrative. The strength of the new edition lies primarily in advanced technology: the maps detailing the locations of various religious communities are brighter and clearer because of digitization. In terms of content, however, much was already said in the first incarnation. Details have been added on the decline of the mainstream Protestant denominations, the rise of the Pentacostals and Evangelical Christians, and the modest influence of Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, but these are small additions that--while excellent for remaining up-to-date--do not necessarily justify purchasing a costly new volume. Libraries with the previous edition (now out of print) should purchase only if the older edition has received considerable usage. Otherwise, this revised edition is strongly recommended and can be considered indispensable for theological and academic libraries.
Glenn Masuchika, Rockwell Collins Information Ctr., Cedar Rapids, IA.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"Anyone hoping to comprehend religion in its historical context ignores geography at some peril." So begin the editors in their preface to a new and expanded edition of the
Historical Atlas of Religion in America, first published in 1976. The landscape of religion in America has changed much in the intervening quarter century, the growth of non-Western religious traditions and the decline of denominational loyalty among many Protestants being two examples. This revised atlas shows in maps and other illustrations where these changes have taken place over time.
The atlas is divided into four parts, the first two constituting the revision of the earlier edition. Part 1 covers institutional and ethnic religions to 1800, where part 2 picks up the story and continues through to the present. Each part is subdivided into sections treating Christian denominations, Judaism, Native American religions, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, and others. The atlas clearly strives to provide a historical and comprehensive view of the pluralism of religion in America. Color maps, graphs, and other illustrations accompany brief histories of these specific religious groups. For example, the treatment of Episcopalians in part 2 includes a graph of growth and decline in church membership from 1800 to 1996 as well as maps showing the number of Episcopal churches by county in 1850, 1890, 1950, and 1990. Whenever possible, similar maps are provided for other groups, allowing for, say, a comparison of Roman Catholics and Episcopalians over the same period. Sections end with supplemental bibliographies.
Parts 3 and 4 are new to this edition. Part 3 presents case studies of three groups--Lutherans, Mormons, and Roman Catholics--in which a more detailed cartographic examination is provided. Part 4 is a less-than-successful hodgepodge of information, including a brief look at Canada, a list of religious place-names in the U.S., and the denominational composition of three recent U.S. Congresses. The "Conclusion" section of the atlas is wonderful, offering maps of denominational predominance in the U.S. by county from 1790 to 1990 as well as pie charts for each state that give 1890 and 1990 percentages of denominational affiliation. Then comes an assortment of appendixes, such as a table showing the number of churches by denomination in 1890 and maps of each state with county names. Finally, the atlas concludes with a detailed index.
New Historical Atlas of Religion in America contains as much text as it does maps. This is a good thing, as it can easily serve as an encyclopedia of sorts of American religious history. A more thorough treatment can be found in the Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience (Scribner, 1988). Those interested in more detailed statistics on churches and church membership should consult the many publications of the Glenmary Research Center.
This reference work contains a wealth of textual, cartographic, and bibliographic information. As such, it should not be lost in an atlas case. Recommended for academic and large public library collections. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Gorgeous....This significantly revised version...delights not only in its 260 full-color maps and 200 graphs, tables and charts, but also in the mellifluous text co-written by Gaustad and Barlow....Each religious group receives extensive treatment, with heightened emphasis on religious newcomers
such as Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists and Muslims; the sections on Native American and African-American religious traditions have also been significantly expanded....This eminently useful, visually stunning atlas speaks eloquently of America's history of religious faith."--
Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Edwin Scott Gaustad is at University of California, Riverside. Philip L. Barlow is at Hanover College, Indiana.
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