Amongst the New Books: Atlas de Cuba

Summary

This review evaluates two publications that offer geographic and historical perspectives on Cuba and Korea. “Atlas de Cuba” (1949), produced at Harvard’s Institute of Geographical Exploration in cooperation with the Republic of Cuba’s Department of Agriculture, crams a vast array of data—from geology to population and production—into 63 pages of maps and text. The cartography largely employs Erwin Raisz’s physiographic style, vividly conveying landscape, land use, natural vegetation, and even tourist attractions. Intended as a multipurpose work for schools, offices, and the tourist trade, the atlas suffers from several shortcomings: incomplete English translations of Spanish legends cause a cluttered bilingual layout, and cost-saving production leads to fuzzy printing on cheap paper and poor color registration, occasionally misplacing population symbols into the sea. Despite these flaws, the authors largely succeed in delivering a “living picture of Cuban geography,” and the large infolded wall map alone justifies the modest price. The review also briefly introduces “The Epic of Korea” by A. Wigfall Green, published during the Korean War to supply essential background. The book recounts Korea’s long history of struggle, noting the succession of Manchu, Mongolian, Chinese, and Japanese invasions, and opens with descriptions of the land and its people. Although the review text is incomplete, it indicates the volume’s value for understanding Korea’s past and present conflicts.