National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World

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Summary: If the world were only the USA, this would be a good atlas!
Review: After I purchased this atlas, I realized that this is one of those times when one should actually pick up a copy of a book first in a library or bookstore before ordering it. While the maps themselves are fine, there simply are not enough of them. The atlas focuses on the USA with approximately 30 pages of maps, but the apparently insignificant mass of permafrost and ice to the north of it gets one page! The rest of the world isn't treated much better. There are several very good world atlases that actually deal with entire world. Unfortunately, this isn't one of them.

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Summary: I can't believe this blunder!
Review: Beware of the photo of Mt. Everest that introduces the section on Asia; it is printed left/right backward! Only error I caught while glancing through it quickly, but definitely glaring, plus I'm rather attuned to mountain photography.

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Summary: A Cartoon Version of the World
Review: This atlas is intellectually demeaning. Of its 352 pages, less than 100 contain geographical maps. No major cities are cartographed. The two pages on Western Europe encompass Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Monaco. The map is so poorly constructed that the island of Gibraltar is indistinguishable from the country of Spain. All 600,000 square miles of this topical part of the world are crammed into the same amount of space as the state of Hawaii. Further, instead of showing the arrondissements of Paris or the subway system in Manhattan, pages are devoted to such ridiculous topics as "fiber optic teledensity" and "global internet connectivity". Certainly these subjects are better covered in other publications, not to mention that they are far less likely to remain relevant than a map of Vancouver, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. My nephews are once again using our battered 1997 Rand McNally [$$$] road map for this information.

Rating:
Summary: A Cartoon Version of the World
Review: This atlas is intellectually demeaning. Of its 352 pages, less than 100 contain geographical maps. No major cities are cartographed. The two pages on Western Europe encompass Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Monaco. The map is so poorly constructed that the island of Gibraltar is indistinguishable from the country of Spain. All 600,000 square miles of this topical part of the world are crammed into the same amount of space as the state of Hawaii. Further, instead of showing the arrondissements of Paris or the subway system in Manhattan, pages are devoted to such ridiculous topics as "fiber optic teledensity" and "global internet connectivity". Certainly these subjects are better covered in other publications, not to mention that they are far less likely to remain relevant than a map of Vancouver, the site of the 2010 Winter Olympics. My nephews are once again using our battered 1997 Rand McNally [$$$] road map for this information.

Rating:
Summary: Cartographic Masterpiece
Review: When my children started asking questions about other countries following last year's events, I thought that a good idea would be to buy a new atlas. After canvasing the selection at a local book store, probably 10 of so titles, The National Geographic Family Reference Atlas was a glowing standout. No other atlas contained as much data on as many topics. The maps are a perfect balance between what a child needs for school and what adults need on a regular basis. Stunning maps and depth of information make this a very worthy buy.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic reference resource
Review: You will be amazed by the amount of information contained within this book. In fact it probably contains more useful information (about all the countries of the world) than say 50 other books put together. National Geographic photographs and maps are usually world class, as is this reference book. Highly recommended.