The atlas of Britain -- A review

Summary

This article reviews the Atlas of Britain and Northern Ireland. The author argues that the UK need not produce a national atlas since this volume comprehensively covers British geography. The review notes the atlas's broad scope, including physical geography, agriculture, industry, and population, but observes that industrial maps, comprising about one-fifth of the content, may be less useful than others. From a cartographic perspective, the author evaluates the atlas's innovative approach, which attempts to present only observed facts without interpolated isarithms, a method that, while laudable, leads to less effective maps in some cases. The review also criticizes issues with base maps, color use, lettering, and symbol design, such as disproportionate symbol sizes. Overall, the atlas is praised as an outstanding compendium of information, though its cartographic concepts could be improved.