Goode's packs an impressive amount of information into a relatively small, sturdy package. It has many features found only in th

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Product Description

For over 68 years, Goode's World Atlas has been recognized as the educational standard for geographic reference. Revised and updated, the 19th edition of this desk-size atlas reference features nine new maps--plus thematic and regional maps which reflect current economic data and political reality.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #566286 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 371 pages

From Library Journal
Used for class assignments in college geography classes for many years, this atlas focuses on thematic (i.e., subject or topic) mappingAmaps on landforms, temperature, precipitation, population density, soils, agricultural products, minerals, and on and on. The 20th edition (ISBN 0-528-84336-2. $34.95) is due in October.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

Goode is very good for general reference
Other reviewers are correct in suggesting that this atlas is not the best one for looking sharp on a coffee table or locating a small village in Uzbekistan. But it more than compensates by providing excellent thematic maps, detailing geographic variations in population, annual rainfall, vegetation, language spoken, energy use, tectonic plates, temperatures & landforms, etc. The more basic maps are only modestly detailed; for example, most US states don't have their own page in the atlas, necessitating that while Raleigh, NC would certainly be on the map, the smaller communities of Pittsboro and Zebulon might not. If you want an atlas with an emphasis on thematic reference, this is a very good choice.

As Goode as They Get
When my father began work at the University of Michigan in 1932 toward a PhD in geography, he bought a copy of the then-new _Goode's_, the standard of geographers then as now. As the years went on he bought successive editions, giving me his old copies. I still have the first of these, a "revised and enlarged" edition of 1933.

I grew up with maps. I remain fascinated with them and use them (and create them) constantly in my work. That old _Goode's_ is one of dozens of atlases on my shelves, and one of eight editions of this title that I have owned. The newer editions of it are the atlases I refer to most frequently. When I need more detail I try the massive and wonderful _Times World Atlas_, or turn to various geographic software packages I own. But nine times in ten I quickly find what I need, clearly and attractively presented, in _Goode's_. When I must travel to do my work and can take only one atlas, it is _Goode's_.

Despite its compact and handy size, _Goode's_ does not compromise on coverage and detail. In fact, it is better on both counts than the great majority of "coffee-table" atlases. The key to this is that _Goode's_ is a just-the-fact atlas. There are no pictures, the text is brief and to the point. Fundamentally this is a map book. Color, shading, and standardized symbols are used effectively convey information. The density of presentation is chosen judiciously, packing as much information as possible in each map without making it necessary to squint through a magnifier. The gazetteer is excellent and comprehensive for an atlas of this size. Introductory material includes a nice introduction to cartography and map projections. There is a superb section of global thematic maps, analyzing many particular features of the physical and social landscape, and specialized thematic maps for each major region of the globe. This is an atlas with everything that is necessary and nothing that is not. No other atlas can come close for general utility, let alone value.

The only other atlas I have ever found that could compare in any way with _Goode's_ is the beautiful first edition of _The Oxford Atlas_, compiled in Britain after World War II when the economic conditions made skilled work astonishingly cheap. Unfortunately, the _Oxford_ has gone far downhill since then.

If you want a good desk atlas for reference, this is the one.

Best for educational purposes.
The twentieth edition of Goode's atlas of the world continues to be a standard for U.S.-educational purposes. The reference maps themselves are not too accurate and detailed, but they provide a reasonably well-balanced coverage of the world, with handy larger-scale inset maps for the more populous regions of each continent. There is an elaborate thematic section on a variety of topics about the world, the continents, and the United States in particular. This is supplemented by a very good statistical section, and the 30,000 entry index gazetteer contains a pronunciation guide for each entry, which is unique for a world atlas. Non-US buyers probably have better alternatives, but for school purposes for North America, this is a very good choice. The publication of this twentieth (!) edition illustrates the endurability of this work since 1922.