Gr 8 Up-Available only in a print version but updated annually, this large-format resource continues to earn pride of place on the atlas case's top shelf for its combination of currency and eye-widening graphics. The physical, political, and country and regional maps that make up the volume's core are works of art-brilliantly designed for easy comprehension, rendered in bright colors and sharp detail, and impossible to resist poring over. An immense index and a detailed gazetteer take up nearly half of the page count. Distinctive additional features include an array of satellite images, more than 50 (simplified) city street maps, a survey article titled "Will the World Run Out of Food?" and about two dozen maps related to climate, natural resources, population, and trade, not to mention star charts and a tour of the solar system. There were no major changes in the world since the 18th edition, but new material includes fresh statistical information; updated flags for two African countries; changes to the selections of city maps and satellite photos; and, in the maps themselves, the additions of significant buildings, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and new roads and railways. Atlases are among the quickest reference sources to age, so for classroom or library collections in which students search in vain for information about, for instance, South Sudan or even Kosovo, this makes a first-rate replacement.-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Those familiar with previous editions of Oxford's Atlas of the World will recognize the format of the 25th edition of this annually published atlas. In addition to providing world and city maps, the atlas includes sections on a number of geographic topics, such as world statistics and satellite imagery, a gazetteer with information on nation states, and sections on physical geography (such as climate and geology) and human geography (such as religion and tourism). One notable addition to the atlas is the short section "A Divided World," which examines issues related to land and sea boundaries. Those who wish to update their atlas collection will be well served by this most recent edition, which, for the cost, provides a great deal of value for readers, with quality cartography and narrative elements. An alternative is the recently published Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World (15th ed., 2018). Though the Times atlas is more expensive, this larger and more comprehensive resource may be an appropriate choice for libraries wishing to purchase a single atlas every few years. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries. --Travis Dolence, Minnesota State University Moorhead

Oxford commissioned the internationally known cartographic firm of George Philip & Son to compile this splendid new world atlas. This company was one of the pioneers in the use of multicolored maps, and its expertise is clearly evident in the beautiful design here, especially in the 160-page section of maps showing all regions of the world. The topographic maps have as many as 14 shades of color to highlight their geography (e.g., "South America--West"). Color scales along the edge of the page denote the altitude of land areas in feet and meters. At the top of each map is a distance scale giving units in miles and kilometers. Small black-and-white insert maps show latitude and longitude. Excellent scale of size is most obvious in the coverage of island groups in the Southwest Pacific, Central America, and West Indies areas. Topography is clear, and map scales are appropriate so landmarks can be distinguished. Also included are a few political maps, primarily for continents. While the world maps make up the largest portion of this atlas, three additional parts add value. "World Statistics" is six pages of tables comparing countries, cities, distances, climates, and physical dimensions of geographic areas. Most units of measurement are given in both the metric and English systems. Throughout the text all monetary values are converted to U.S. dollars. The 48-page "Introduction to World Geography" surveys 23 topics, including the environment, agriculture, energy, trade, and health. These short essays are abundantly illustrated with pie and bar graphs, maps, charts, tables, and diagrams in a variety of colors. In the "City Maps" section, 66 major cities from each region of the world are represented, with maps drawn to the scale of 1:200,000. These are in four colors, show most major landmarks, and vary in size from two pages for New York City to one-quarter page for Istanbul. This atlas lies flat for ease of reading and photocopying. The maps do not bleed into the gutter of the book but leave varying widths of margin. Some maps are placed horizontally within the text, necessitating the rotation of the atlas for reading by the user. All maps have letters and numbers running along the edge of the page to assist the user in locating specific areas from the references in the indexes. Each of the four sections of this work has its own pagination, and two separate indexes are included. Accompanying the city maps section is a 25-page index, listing more than 11,000 entries for names of places and such major landmarks as airports and universities. The index following the world maps section is 127 pages in length, four columns per page, totaling 62,000 entries for names of places and features. For each entry, both indexes provide latitude and longitude as well as the alphanumeric citations to the location on the most detailed map. With the vast number and rapidity of changes taking place in the political world today, many publishers are having difficulty in keeping up with events. This atlas is no different. The many changes in the Commonwealth of Independent States and Germany are all noted. The recent changes in Czechoslovakia and Ethiopia obviously occurred past the publication deadline. Some of the changes in Yugoslavia are noted. Despite these forgivable flaws, this is still one of the most current atlases available today. For a moderately priced atlas, this work has extensive indexing. Its well-designed format and superior use of map colors make Oxford's Atlas of the World an appropriate selection for junior and senior high schools as well as public and academic libraries. (Reviewed Feb. 15, 1993)

The latest revision of Oxford's highly acclaimed Atlas of the World is as up-to-date as can be in the post-September 11 world. "Site of former World Trade Center" says one caption on an updated map of lower Manhattan- and Baghdad has been added to the 67 maps of major cities around the world, including Moscow, Lisbon and Jerusalem. Statistics on the U.S. have been updated from the 2000 Census, and a new Gazetteer of Nations offers easy reference. But the heart, and strength, of this atlas remains the hundreds of colorful, beautifully detailed maps, conveying not only topographical features but also disputed boundaries, railways and principal roads. This is an indispensable reference for students as well as anyone interested in the state of the world, from population statistics to the environment and our impact on it. It will provide hours of happy, fascinating browsing. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Oxford University Press offers several kinds of world atlases. In decreasing order of cost and other features, the titles include: Oxford Atlas of the World, Oxford New Concise World Atlas, Oxford Essential World Atlas, and Oxford Pocket World Atlas. With Atlas of the World, the publisher successfully provides considerable detail on the world, with heavier focus on different parts of it each time-the "Images of Earth" section of the 22nd edition offers stunning satellite images of 17 cities including Washington, DC; Sydney, Australia; Calcutta/Kolkata, India; and, best of all, Naples, Italy, the photo of which clearly features Mount Vesuvius over the city. Rich investigations of the global issues reflected in the atlas are another staple of this series, this time offering a look at "The Future of the Oceans and Seas." Large color maps of continents, regions, countries, and cities are presented in groups by continent, with each section introduced by a full-spread satellite image of the continent in question. The New Concise World Atlas offers maps that are just as useful and well produced as those in the premier series of titles. There are fewer of them, and the trim size is smaller, but most libraries will do fine with what is provided. As in the larger work, the cartography is complemented by crisp satellite images, in this case of cities such as Rome; Jakarta; and Cairo (these are not the same places shown in this year's larger atlas). Missing is the expansive text that opens the larger atlas and is accompanied by relevant charts and graphs, but taking into consideration the price difference, smaller institutions will be willing to forego this analysis. VERDICT Larger libraries will do well to showcase this annual update of Atlas of the World; whereas smaller collections will be well served by the New Concise World Atlas. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.