National Geographic Atlas of the World

Summary

The text contains reviews of the National Geographic Society’s 1963 National Geographic Atlas of the World. Charles B. Hitchcock and O. M. Miller strongly praise its maps, legends, and tables, while criticizing binding that obstructs continuous viewing of extended maps, inadequate color contrast on some thematic maps, small table type, and omissions concerning accommodation, educational and medical resources, and Britain’s cultural and historical features. Walter W. Ristow regards it as one of the best world atlases published in the United States. He traces its development from updated magazine map supplements and commends its 56 double-page maps, relatively balanced geographical coverage, index of 127,000 place-names, and restrained supplementary text. His reservations concern irregular scales, relief shading and boundary colors that reduce clarity, crowded place-names, and potential trimming losses when rebinding borderless pages. He also praises production quality and considers the price reasonable. A closing fragment reviews Carleton S. Coon’s The Origin of Races, noting controversy over his claims about racial evolution and praising his organization of extensive evidence.