Collins Paperback Atlas of the World - Softcover

The recent reversion of Zaire to the Democratic Republic of Congo has once again rendered all atlases out-of-date, but otherwise the maps in these two atlases are current. Despite their titles, both atlases are relatively concise paperbacks, with the differences being in pagination, size, preliminaries, and number of place names indexed. The Concise Atlas is 28 centimeters high; offers a "Geographical Encyclopedia," including thematic maps; and indexes 30,000 names; the Paperback Atlas is 26 centimeters high, includes an "Our Planet" section showing the solar system and earth structure, and contains 20,000 names. Unfortunately the geographical data sections of both atlases contain errors. Both list Cambodia as a republic, which would surely be a surprise to King Sihanouk. The Concise Atlas omits Eritrea and Macedonia from the table of nations, while the Paperback Atlas lists only the former currencies of many former Soviet states. The map size and coverage in the Concise Atlas is much more useful for reference purposes, but neither is recommended for geographical data. DK's Concise World Atlas (LJ 3/15/97) is considerably more reliable at $19.95, though it is similarly best suited for students and home or office use, owing to its size and limited scope.?Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. System, Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.