Rating: 
Summary: The best World Atlas. Period.
Review: Being an outdoors enthusiast with an appetite for cartographic excellence, I find it quite easy to state that this is the finest atlas I have ever seen. I routinely browse all the "latest and greatest" atlases on the market (and they do have some strong points), but for sheer quantity of information (that amazingly does not overwhelm the eyes), accuracy and aesthetic beauty (the shaded relief is magnificent) the National Geographic Atlas of the World 7th Edition is head and shoulders above the rest. This atlas is literally like the internet; I lose track of time while I journey throughout the globe. The atlas also has character; something the other atlases continue to miss.
Rating:
Summary: The best World Atlas. Period.
Review: Being an outdoors enthusiast with an appetite for cartographic excellence, I find it quite easy to state that this is the finest atlas I have ever seen. I routinely browse all the "latest and greatest" atlases on the market (and they do have some strong points), but for sheer quantity of information (that amazingly does not overwhelm the eyes), accuracy and aesthetic beauty (the shaded relief is magnificent) the National Geographic Atlas of the World 7th Edition is head and shoulders above the rest. This atlas is literally like the internet; I lose track of time while I journey throughout the globe. The atlas also has character; something the other atlases continue to miss.
Rating:
Summary: Great to Spark Interest and Become Immersed In
Review: I do not teach geography but I use it everyday. The National Geographic Atlas is not a desk top reference, it is for exploring. It is a waste of time to say one atlas is better than another, much as it is to say one car is better than another. It all depends what you intend to use the atlas for. I have owned a Goodes and several CD-ROM atlas packages for years, these are an excellent desktop reference. The National Geographic is great to spark interest and become immersed in.
I remember as a child going to the library and opening the huge National Geographic Atlas to find something and getting lost. Since then I looked forward to being able to afford the book. The excuse I used to purchase the atlas was my elementary aged son asking for more maps of the world to look at.
The graphics are excellent. The use of satellite images is a high point of the book. The use of false color images (Most satellite photos are presented this way.) is very well integrated with standard cartographic images. In the future this is where many geographics publications will move to.
CD/DVD based atlas texts are good for quick checks, but you can be limited by the size of your monitor. To look at it another way, the National Geographic Atlas of the World is a lot cheaper than a 27 inch LCD or plasma monitor.
Rating:
Summary: Best general atlas
Review: I have both the 7th and 8th editions of this book, as well as recent editions of most of the other major world atlases.
In my opinion, this latest (8th) edition blows away the competition (_and_ the National Geographic's own 7th edition).
Having bought and owned world atlases for almost 50 years, I strongly recommend this atlas for home, school, or library use. I find this latest edition exceedingly accurate, especially in the areas of the Middle East (*despite* the protestations from certain _very_ organized political factions <ahem>).
Magnificent satellite photos, along with revised and improved political and geo-physical maps, set this one apart from the rest. Much of the "supplemental" map sections of the previous edition are expanded.
Regarding the reviewer who indicated that the 7th edition is "cloth-bound": well, the 7th edition (that I own) actually has a *cloth-textured* dark blue *paper* overlay on hardboard. The internal hinges are "binders' mull" (cloth) _but_ so are those of the plastic-coated covers of the 8th edition! Both editions should hold up very well. The main difference in the covers is the aesthetics, and the 8th edition is indeed quite pleasing in that department.
I most highly recommend the 8th edition of this atlas, and you certainly won't go wrong if you purchase it from Amazon.
A great addition to the panoply of atlases, and a huge treat for addictive map lovers!
Rating:
Summary: Great maps
Review: I looked at a lot of different atlases before I purchased this one. I loved this one because it had the most maps and best colour. I didn't want an atlas that had too much encyclopedic information. If you are after an atlas with fabulous maps, then this is the one for you!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Family Resource
Review: I've had the new atlas for 60 days and find myself looking something up every 2-3 days. It's really been fun looking up remote places like Palmyra Atoll, Kerguelen Island, the Fly River and other obscure places I read about.
And now I've found an interesting use for the password protected online atlas as well. The online Atlas gives you high-resolution access to all the Atlas map plates. You can print, copy or email maps or portions of maps. I expect the online Atlas to come in handy for school projects.
If you've read through the reviews you'll know the Iranians are upset about the "renaming" of the Persian Gulf. OK, since I'm at work, I'll log in to the password protected Atlas website, pull up Plate 75 and take a look. The Persian Gulf is labeled "Persian Gulf" but underneath it in parentheses is the label "Arabian Gulf". Apparently "Arabian Gulf", even in parentheses, is an affront to Iranian pride.
I want to be fair on this so I decided to check out some other atlases at my local bookstore to see how they handle the Gulf label. Most of the atlases use the term Persian Gulf by itself, but several prominent, highly-rated Atlases use the label "The Gulf" with no Persian or Arabian modifier, so there is legitimate debate in the cartographic world about how to refer to this body of water. For nationalistic reasons the Iranians want it only to be called the Persian Gulf, but I suspect the other countries bordering the Gulf would disagree. Most people will continue to call it the Persian Gulf, and the NGS Atlas appropriately uses that name as the primary label.
However, Iran does not own the Persian Gulf, and if a different name is now used by millions of people, then you have to admire the NGS for including both labels and not bowing to pressure from any political group, unlike the Atlases that meekly call it "The Gulf". I sympathize with the Iranian's anger over what they perceive to be psychological warfare by the Arabs, but I would still prefer to know if an alternate name is in use locally, and that is what the NGS atlas provides. Geographic names evolve, and the NGS continues its strong history of providing up-to-date cartography.
The new NGS World Atlas is among the top two or three World Atlases available, and the discounted price from Amazon makes it a relative bargain, especially when you consider you also get an online Atlas that mirrors the printed edition.
I for one feel the maps in the NGS World Atlas are as accurate and beautiful as you will find anywhere and now they're available online as well. This is a great family resource.
Rating:
Summary: CHEAPER THAN A TRIP AROUND THE WORLD ... AND JUST AS NICE
Review: Map out your academic studies or armchair travels with this incredible book --- without a doubt, the most up-to-date, comprehensive atlas we have ever seen. This seventh edition puts a changing world, in 140,000-plus entries, in everyone's hands, and boasts state-of-the-art satellite imagery and the work of more than 50 cartographers, designers, editors, researchers and indexers. (The mountain, valleys and other landscape features were digitally painted over a period of a yea by one staff artist!) Expensive? You bet. But much cheaper than a trip around the world. But if you have to go, just don't try and pack it in your luggage; the book weighs close to 15 pounds!
Rating: 
Summary: National Geographic retains its reputation.
Review: National Geographic retains its reputation as one of the finest mapmakers of the world with the seventh edition of their atlas of the world. The maps look the same as the sixth edition, but a fully updated section of urban area maps has been included. Again, color usage is very sparse, but the relief shading has improved. What really makes this atlas more valuable than its predecessor is the thematic part. A large number of topics are elaborately treated. With the 140,000+ index, this atlas remains in the top 5 of best atlases ever produced.
Rating:
Summary: This Atlas Doesn't Shrug!
Review: O.K... not the greatest pun, but at least I got your attention! I wanted to tell anyone who is interested that I have owned this atlas for two years and I can now say in all sincerity that it is one of the best book investments I've ever made, hands down. I keep it in a very handy spot between my computer, my television and my bookcase, and pull it out whenever an unfamiliar geographic reference comes my way. Usually this leads to 20-30 minutes of sheer pleasure as I flip through the pages and bolster my understanding of distant and exotic places. The maps are clear and detailed, and very esoterically pleasing, and the index is one of the best I've ever seen in any book; I am constantly amazed that all of the maps are served by this one simple-to-use index. Bonus Information: I was browsing in a store which specializes in geography products shortly after I bought this atlas, and the salesman suggested a product called the "Magnabrite light gathering magnifier", a small clear glass object which rests on the page and brings small print and details forward clearly and dramatically. If you search "all products" on Amazon, I believe they have a catalog listing which will allow you to order one. Also, you can just Google for it easily. It's the best! Mine says on the box "Precision, Prefocused 4X - Magnifier"...but I believe it's available in four sizes. I hope this atlas serves as a great tool for you to delve deeply into the geography and topography of our beautiful planet. Enjoy it!
Rating:
Summary: Dollar For Dollar The Best World Atlas
Review: The 7th edition of the National Geographic Society (NGS) Atlas of the World is very much "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary". Besides updated boundaries, etc., compared to prior editions it makes much better use of shading to indicate topography and has more detailed city maps. I buy an atlas primarily for the maps, and it's the maps that make the NGS Atlas superior to all others.The traditional NGS "look" sometimes seems dated compared to the flashier colors and trendy graphics employed by some other publishers. However, the more I study the maps, the more information I find in them. A few months ago I did a comparison of this NGS with the most recent edition of the much more expensive Times Atlas of the World for a professional geographer's meeting. I was amazed to find that many of the NGS maps of North America had more than twice as many place names and named physical features as the Times Atlas. I also found the NGS Atlas maps equal or superior to the Times' maps for parts of the Middle East and northeast Asia with which I'm familiar (frankly, I found the 10th Edition Times Atlas inferior to the prior edition in several regards; for example, the elevation colors are far less discernable and detailed city maps have been virtually eliminated). Despite contrary opinions by some other reviewers, I judge the National Geographic Atlas maps to be far and away superior in content and sheer volume of information presented to all the other "high end" atlases published by Oxford, Hammond and DK. In fact, I couldn't justify recommending any of the other atlases (except possibly the Times, which, I admit, does offer fantastic detail for village names in the rural plains of India where I hope to never visit) to a library. The National Geographic Society Atlas of the World is a great investment for travel planning, tracking current events, studying geography and history or just reading maps for pleasure. I recommend it highly.
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