Reviews of Books: Atlas de Cuba

Summary

This review evaluates *Atlas de Cuba*, compiled by Gerardo Canet with Erwin Raisz and published by Harvard University Press in 1949. The volume is less a conventional atlas than an illustrated outline of Cuban history, climate, physical geography, biology, demography, and economy, presented through maps, cartograms, and diagrams. While visual representations of statistics can enhance public comprehension of facts and issues, the method is overused here, resulting in cluttered pages filled with sketches lacking in design and purpose. The technical quality of color printing falls below expectations, and poor registration in diagrams and scenic illustrations produces an unattractive, unfocused effect. The only genuinely valuable component of this highly priced atlas is the large folding map of Cuba at the end, which notably attempts to depict landscapes using techniques and colors that convey the region's overall character while avoiding the well-known deficiencies of conventional small-scale relief representation.