a. Scope: This source is extremely comprehensive. In addition to 176 topographical and political maps that cover every country in the world, it includes a gazetteer of nations, street maps of 67 major cities, world statistics (i.e. country area and population) and informational sections on various topics.
b. Currency: The tenth edition was published in 2002, so population statistics will be slightly different today. However, countries’ borders are still the same.
c. Accuracy: Oxford University Press has an excellent reputation for accuracy, and employs a panel of geography experts in the making of this atlas. Place names are the ones used by the British Foreign Office and major publications such as Newsweek and the Washington Post.
d. Format: This atlas has keys to its world map pages inside the front and back covers. It opens with a forward and a table of contents, followed by the information sections and the maps section. The atlas closes with an alphabetical index of place names.
e. Illustrations: The full-color maps, charts, and photographs in this atlas are excellent; in fact, Library Journal calls the atlas “stunning.” One of the most attention-grabbing features is a section called “Images of Earth” which features photographs of major cities that were taken from space.
f. Overall: This is an accurate, comprehensive, and interesting atlas.
2. Chambers World Gazetteer. David Munro, editor. 5th ed. Edinburgh: Chambers, 1988.*
a. Scope: The Chambers World Gazetteer has approximately 45,000 entries. (American Library Association)
b. Currency: Published over twenty years ago, this is not current resource.
c. Accuracy: This is an accurate resource, but most statistics are from 1980. (American Library Association)
d. Format: This source is arranged alphabetically by place name.
e. Entries: Entries contain place name and brief information.
f. Illustrations: This source contains color and black and white maps.
g. Overall: This resource is not current and does not have as broad a scope as the Columbia Gazetteer of the World.
3. The Columbia Gazetteer of the World. Saul B. Cohen, ed. 3 vols. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.*
a. Scope: This gazetteer catalogs approximately 163,000 places, including countries, states/provinces, counties, cities, towns, physical features (i.e. bodies of water), and special places (i.e. national parks). According to its introduction, its goal is for “maximum coverage.”
b. Currency: The 1998 edition reflected many of the world’s political changes, including the end of colonialism and the break-up of the former Soviet Union. The most recent print version, published in 2008, reflects changes in the world since then – for instance, the new location of Myanmar’s capital city and the decreased population of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The most current version is online, and is updated continually.
c. Accuracy: Reference sources from the Columbia University Press are well-reputed for accuracy. According to its website, “The entries (in the Columbia Gazetteer of the World) reflect the input of specialists intimately familiar with a wide variety of sources, some of which are not readily accessible, and with personal knowledge of places and features that these sources have described.”
d. Format: The print version of this source is arranged in three volumes, with entries listed alphabetically; the first volume contains A-G, the second has H-O, and the third has P-Z.
e. Entries: “The entries include information on many of the following: demography; physical geography; political boundaries; industry, trade, and service activities; agriculture; cultural, historical, and archeological points of interest; transportation lines; longitude, latitude, and elevations; distance to relevant places; pronunciations; official local government place-names and changed or variant names and spellings. Their length varies from a brief notation on a small village to an essay on a country or region.” (ColumbiaGazetteer.Org, 2010)
f. Illustrations: The print version of source does not have illustrations. The online version has photographs to accompany some entries.
g. Overall: The Columbia Gazetteer of the World is an extensive, accurate source that reflects the world’s political and social changes.
4. Guide to Places of the World. 2nd ed. New York: Reader's Digest Association, 1995.*
a. Scope: This source contains 8,000 entries on places, including physical features suck as mountains and man-made attractions such as skyscrapers. (School Library Journal)
b. Currency: This resource is 15 years old; while much of the information remains the same, some important current information will be missing, and demographic statistics may be invalid.
c. Accuracy: Reader’s Digest is a trusted publisher.
d. Format: This source is arranged alphabetically by place name.
e. Entries: According to School Library Journal, entries vary in length and are written in a “lively […] style.” In addition to entries about places, this book includes “Day in the Life” stories about people around the world.
f. Illustrations: According to School Library Journal, this source’s “lavish photographs and charts are above average and sure to capture the interest of readers.”
g. Overall: While this source has a narrow scope, its conversational tone and high-quality illustrations make it a good reference book for a school or public library.
5. Hammond Atlas of the World. Concise Edition. Maplewood, NJ: Hammond, 1996.*
a. Scope: This atlas contains maps of all the countries in the world. It also includes world statistics and maps on various topics such as population and climate.
b. Currency: This source was published fourteen years ago, so some statistics have changed since then.
c. Accuracy: Hammond verifies its information on place names and borders with the United States government and the United Nations.
d. Format: This source begins with a table of contents, a how-to-use section, and sections of information about cartography and world statistics. The main section of maps is arranged by continent. This atlas also contains a quick reference guide and an alphabetical index of place names.
e. Illustrations: This atlas has color maps and charts.
f. Overall: As this atlas is a “concise” version, it has fewer information sections than Oxford’s Atlas of the World. However, its map section is equivalent to Oxford’s, if less visually “stunning.”
Additional References
“Chambers World Gazetteer: An A-Z of Geographical Information.” American Library Association. DC Library. 2010. 11 April 2010.
“Guide to Places of the World: A Geographical Dictionary.” Amazon.com. 2010. 11 April 2010. Review by School Library Journal.
“Introduction to The Columbia Gazetteer of the World.” ColumbiaGazetteer.Org. 2010. 10 April 2010.
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