Book reviews: Atlas of Australian resources, second series

Summary

The review examines the Atlas of Australian Resources, Second Series, appearing from 1963 after the 1951–1960 series. Planned for about thirty sheets, it prioritizes revision and supplementation rather than a fixed publication sequence; the first subjects are electricity, soils, population distribution and growth, and geology. The reviewer praises the replacement of the earlier 1:6,000,000 continental map with regional maps at 1:4,500,000 and a continental overview at 1:12,000,000, allowing clearer detail in densely settled areas. Each sheet has an accompanying commentary of about twenty pages. Reverse-side monochrome detail maps and legends are judged potentially disruptive but acceptable as a cost-saving measure. The reviewer notes expanded thematic coverage, more detailed geological knowledge, refined soil classifications and newer nomenclature, and improved printing and colours. With three sheets planned annually, the reviewer expects subsequent sheets to provide a fuller account of Australia’s economic development and reserves an assessment of scientific advances until the series is complete.