Some Recent Regional Atlases: A Review
- Publication
- Geographical Review
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 479-484
Denmark · Version 1
1949–1992Ristow reviews Volume 1 of the Atlas of Denmark, devoted to landscape morphology and the distribution of landscape types, and ranks it foremost among the atlases reviewed for its geography, cartography, and typography. He also commends its cooperative compilation: planning began in 1940 among geographers at the University Geographical Laboratory, with funding and materials subsequently supplied by private donors, foundations, and public institutions. The volume includes physical and geomorphological maps at 1:750,000 and extensive use of block diagrams. Ristow describes the close coordination of the atlas and accompanying text volume: the atlas combines maps and diagrams with condensed explanations in Danish and English, while the English-language text provides fuller descriptions and photographs of representative localities.
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This review examines sixteen regional atlases published over a decade up to 1950, representing eleven countries. It begins by referencing Wright and Platt's classification of atlases into four types—general world, topical world, general regional, and topical regional—noting that the latter two serve as specialized tools for scholars. The author then critiques each atlas by country, covering French topical atlases on wine, textiles, peat bogs, and hydroelectric power; general regional atlases from Denmark, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Belgium, Tanganyika, India, and Australia; and a rainfall atlas from Brazil. The review focuses on content organization, cartographic techniques, compilation backgrounds, and scholarly value, with particular praise for the collaborative model and cartographic excellence of the Atlas of Denmark. The article aims to provide geographers with a systematic overview and evaluation of these regional atlases for academic reference.
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