Richard W. Stephenson · 1972
Stephenson describes the fourth edition of The National Atlas of Canada while it was being compiled by the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. Its first installment, Folio A, issued in August 1970, contained a provisional table of contents and 33 plates covering subjects including lakes, rivers and glaciers, snow cover, territorial evolution, education, mother tongues, air transportation, and census divisions. The completed atlas was planned to contain 70 pages on physical geography, 52 on human geography, 122 on economic geography, and two on compilation sources.
R. W. Anson · 1973
R. W. Anson reviews Folio B of the fourth edition of The National Atlas of Canada, issued in February 1972 with 32 double-page maps. After placing Canadian atlas publishing within the development of national atlases and tracing its editions of 1906, 1915 and 1957, he explains the fourth edition’s loose-leaf publication: folios draw from physical, human and economic sections and can be released before completion. The complete English and French editions were planned to contain 262 pages of maps, tables and text. Anson praises Folio B’s layout, comparative scales, explanatory text, source documentation and clear printing using up to eight colours, while criticizing the positioning of topic titles on folded sheets. His chief criticism is the reliance of many human and economic subjects on 1961 information despite the 1966 census. He suggests that loose-leaf binding would facilitate revision, without reporting an established revision programme. He also records French pages 93–94 in the English review copy and hopes this is not a common collation fault.
J. W. Watson · 1975
This review assesses the fourth edition of the National Atlas of Canada (1973), a collaborative publication by the Canadian government and a private firm, organized into four sections: physical, historical, social/cultural, and economic geography. While praising the atlas's cartographic excellence, the author criticizes the commercial decision to reduce its size and map scales (from 1:10,000,000 to 1:15,000,000), which diminished the effectiveness of many maps. The physical section's new themes (e.g., geology, glaciation, permafrost) and the improved historical section are welcomed. However, the social analysis is severely faulted for failing to utilize census data on ethnic groups, socio-economic levels, and especially for omitting detailed maps of major cities, a regression from the previous edition. In contrast, the economic section offers comprehensive coverage and innovative maps on national accounts, income, and labor. The review concludes that while the atlas demonstrates superb cartographic skill, it misses a crucial opportunity in social and urban geography.
