Reviews: Historical Atlas

Summary

This review examines two historical-geographical works published in 1927. The first is the sixth edition of Shepherd's Historical Atlas, which covers political and ecclesiastical power shifts across all continents except the Polar regions, featuring over two hundred maps and a comprehensive index. However, it falls short in presenting physical geography, marking geographical discoveries, and illustrating how geographical environments influenced historical developments. The second is an eight-volume edition of Hakluyt's Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation, based on the Glasgow standard edition and enriched with numerous illustrations, balancing scholarly and popular appeal. Yet it lacks explanatory notes and omits some foreign voyages. Both works reflect the characteristics and limitations of early 20th-century historical-geographical publishing.