The Times atlas of the world (mid-century edition)

This review examines The Times Atlas of the World (Mid-Century Edition), edited by John Bartholomew and published in five volumes between 1955 and 1960, comprising 120 map sheets. It describes the Edinburgh cartographic tradition of hypsometric colouring, the varied projections used for world thematic maps, and the regional sequence proceeding westward from Antarctica and the international date line. Coverage includes physical and human themes, regional maps, ocean bathymetry, and city and harbour plans. The reviewer finds that sparse contours and colour bands inadequately convey landforms, judging contour intervals of 500 metres at lower elevations and 1,000 metres at higher elevations excessive for the scales employed. The review also notes that increasing use of metric units, prominent representation of roads and airports, political boundaries reflecting conditions at press time, and standardized place names broaden the atlas’s international usability. Each volume includes a gazetteer with coordinates and map-grid references. The reviewer ranks it alongside the Soviet Atlas Mira among the largest world atlases produced and published after the Second World War.