Review of Atlas van Tropisch Nederland, uitgegeven door het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Aardrijkskunding Genootschap in samenweking met den Topografischen Dienst in Nederlandsch-Indië, 1938.

Summary

Karl J. Pelzer reviews the 1938 Atlas van Tropisch Nederland, jointly published by the Royal Netherlands Geographical Society and the Topographical Service of the Netherlands Indies. Planning began in 1909; publication was secured in 1928 when the colonial government offered the Service's cooperation. Intended for practical reference and surveys of scientific, social, and economic knowledge, the atlas contains 31 double plates with 166 maps covering topography, natural conditions, population, history, and economic activities. Dutch, French, German, and English legends accompany each map, and the multilingual contents record scales and compilation and revision dates. Pelzer praises it as an excellent scientific atlas while criticizing shading that obscures elevation and inconsistent hypsometric tints and color values. He notes that the final plates on Surinam and the Netherlands Antilles provide less detail and information than those on the East Indies, interpreting this disparity as reflecting the possessions' differing relative value.