Atlas of the World

By Keith Lye and Oxford University Press

Book Overview

When Oxford's Atlas of the World appeared last year, it was widely praised for the incredible beauty and accuracy of its maps and for its wealth of geographical information. Booklist hailed it as "one of the most current atlases available today" and singled out its "well-designed format and superior use of map colors." And John Noble Wilford, writing in The New York Times Book Review, called it a veritable encyclopedia of geographic information, underscoring its "greater variety of maps and the inclusion of so much noncartographic information" and adding that "those old staples of geography textbooks--fossil fuel reserves, steel production, literacy standings--never looked more inviting of further study."
But world politics has been especially volatile in recent years, producing numerous changes to the face of the globe. To bring our Atlas of the World completely up to date, Oxford now announces a new Second Edition, with dozens of significant alterations to the maps of Europe, Africa, South America, and the Middle East. For instance, the Atlas now shows the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia; it redraws the boundary between Saudia Arabia and Iraq; and it displays new administrative divisions in Nigeria. The new maps also reveal extensive updating of finer details such as the latest Trans-Amazonian highways, a new reservoir south of Bamako, Mali, and the Guri Reservoir in Venezuela. And the index has been completely revised to reflect all these changes.
Of course, the basic qualities of the Atlas--the exquisite mapmaking and the wealth of supplemental information--are as superb as ever. As in the original edition, readers will find hundreds of outstanding, full-color maps produced by Europe's finest cartographers, George Philip Ltd. The heart of the book is the 160-page section of large-scale world maps, providing detailed political and topographical information about every nation on Earth, enhanced by relief shading and layer-colored contours. There are also 66 city maps charting the key urban centers of each continent. The 75,000-entry index offers easy, convenient access to specific locations, with full geographical coordinates and a convenient number-letter access system. And the stunning 48-page Introduction to World Geography section--beautifully illustrated with lavish color maps, graphs, and diagrams--offers a systematic look at world geography, covering topics such as climate, the greenhouse effect, plate tectonics, agriculture, health, population and migration, international organizations, global conflicts, and much more.
Exquisitely designed, thoroughly updated, and packed with informative articles, graphs, and charts, Oxford's Atlas of the World offers the finest global coverage available. It is the benchmark by which all other international map references will be measured.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195210255
• ISBN13: 9780195210255
• Release Date: October 1993
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 8.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 18.3" x 2.0" x 12.0"

Customer Reviews

Great for a 5th grade geography report

This is a VERY low level Atlas with just the very basics about different countries and what they produce. There is no info on religion, or type of government, just a few facts here and there about the country. I would not buy it if my child was older than 5th grade.

Wonderful

The last good atlas I bought was a Readers Digest atlas in 1963. I loved it! The maps were excellent and the index was good. I've looked for newer atlases since then, but never found any I like. I prefer basic atlases with good maps! The Oxford Atlas of the World is just as good as my old favorite one. The maps are supurb and it has an extensive index. That's all I ask for in an atlas, but it also has other features. It doesn't have extensive US maps but I didn't need that as I have a very good road atlas of US. If you just want to look up places this one is excellent.

THE GOLD STANDARD

In choosing a world atlas for my family, I looked at all that were available: from Oxford, National Geographic, Rand McNally, Hammond, DK, and other publishers. This new edition of the OxfordAtlas of the World is clearly the gold standard. Just published, it is of course the most up-to-date atlas available. More importantly, it is accurate and detailed, exquisitely produced (a joy to look at)and very readable. Unlike other atlases, for example, the maps do not run into the gutters. The introductory section containing informational maps and data (country population, income, products,languages, etc.) and stunning satellite photos is virtually a book in itself and worth the price of admission. And for all that one gets, the price is more than reasonable. This is more than a reference book--it's a good read. I highly recommend it.

NOTHING BEATS THE VALUE

I just purchased Oxford's atlas and I'm amazed. It's half the price of comparable atlases and delivers everything my family needs. Clear, easy-to-read, and attractive. The city and satellite maps are also spectacular. Street names, major points of interest, train and subway stations, hospitals and police stations, you name it. I photocopied San Francisco for an upcoming trip. The reviewer who doesn't like the atlas is right--the colors are wonderful. But he's wrong about why they are there. It's not just eye candy. They allow for instant recognition of geographic features and altitude. I highly recommend buying this atlas. For the price there's nothing better.

(Oxford) Atlas of the World

In choosing a world atlas for my family, I looked at all that were available: from Oxford, National Geographic, Rand McNally, Hammond, DK, and other publishers. This new edition of the Oxford Atlas of the World is clearly the gold standard. Just published, it is of course the most up-to-date atlas available. More importantly, it is accurate and detailed, exquisitely produced (a joy to look at) and very readable. Unlike other atlases, for example, the maps do not run into the gutters. The introductory section containing informational maps and data (country population, income, products, languages, etc.) and stunning satellite photos is virtually a book in itself and worth the price of admission. And for all that one gets, the price is more than reasonable. This is more than a reference book--it's a good read. I highly recommend it.