Book reviews: Atlas of Poland

The review describes the first four fascicles of Atlas Polski (Atlas of Poland), issued in Warsaw in 1953–1956 by the Polish Central Office of Geodesy and Cartography and the State Cartographic Publishing Enterprise. Each fascicle contains six map sheets, chiefly addressing the physical-geographical foundations of regional geography. Fascicle I covers historical maps, political territory, soils, geology, geomorphology and gravity; II covers relief, hydrography, vegetation, forests and zoogeography; III presents climate, monthly temperatures, precipitation, pressure and selected weather situations; IV treats Poland’s world and European setting, geological formations, meadows and pastures, and phenological seasons. The reviewer links the choice between full-sheet and island maps, and between single-map and multiple-map layouts, to the source material and subject matter. The principal scale is 1:2,000,000, with several smaller auxiliary scales. The reviewer praises the scientific preparation and cartographic presentation, especially the colors, and judges the published sheets an enrichment of regional geographical literature on East-Central Europe, while noting that the form of future continuation remains unclear.