Atlas and Dictionary Update: 2009.
Quinn, Mary Ellen (author) and Christine Bulson (author).
FEATURE.
First published May 15, 2009 (Booklist).
The atlases and dictionaries listed here are ones we’ve seen since our last “Atlas and Dictionary Update,” in the May 15, 2008, issue. Some of the annotations are excerpts of reviews previously published in RBB; others are brief notes on new editions. See also the starred review of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World.
Earlier this year, we read that the entire staff of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary was laid off because of declining sales, attributed to the proliferation of free dictionaries online. These vary in quality, but some of the big dictionary publishers make content available for free. You can get the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language at Bartleby.com. Merriam-Webster offers a free dictionary search on its Web site, and there is a searchable Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English at Ask Oxford.com.
Atlases
Atlas of the World. 15th ed. 2008. 448p. Oxford, $80 (9780195374513).
Oxford updates its flagship atlas every year. The 2008 edition contains more than 180 pages of world maps and 31 pages of maps for 69 urban areas. Introductory materials consist of 109 pages of world statistics; satellite images; a “Gazetteer of Nations”; and text, charts, graphs, and photographs depicting atmosphere, climate, population, wealth, etc. There is also a glossary of geographical terms. The 14 colors used for elevation make it easy to locate entries. The index uses page numbers and grid squares, but latitude and longitude are also included. Among the changes are a new flag for Iraq, expanded coverage of national parks, and enlarged downtown maps of Amsterdam and Beijing.
Britannica’s Student Atlas. 2009. 132p. Encyclopaedia Britannica, $29.95 (9781593398415).
Intended for grades 5–8, this new atlas offers an extensive series of thematic maps covering a range of topics, including life expectancy, land use, and cellular communication. The section on the U.S. is almost 20 pages long and includes physical, political, and thematic maps. The rest of the world is covered in just over 30 pages. Most of the maps are quite small. Brief information about the countries of the world, including explanations of the colors and symbols of their flags, concludes the work. This atlas is better for getting acquainted with different kinds of maps than for finding specific locations.
Great World Atlas. 5th ed. 2008. 492p. DK, $100 (9780756639846).
DK’s largest atlas starts with an introductory section on the solar system, oceans, population, and so forth. For each continent, physical, political, and resource maps precede the regional maps, and each regional map is followed by a satellite image of the same region, on the same scale and projection. The highly visual DK treatment is on display throughout.
National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World. 2008. 416p. National Geographic, $100 (9781426203329).
A major publisher of geographic sources has produced an atlas with a twist. It has the usual atlas features but emphasizes the more than 850 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Double-page spreads of regional maps are framed with four to six color photographs of the heritage sites that are indicated on the map. Each continent has physical and political maps and a two-page spread of thematic maps showing energy consumption, population density, economy, climate, water availability, and natural events. Perhaps because of the relative number of heritage sites, there are more regional maps for Africa, South America, and Europe than for North America. This is a first choice for any library needing a new medium-priced atlas.
Dictionaries
Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary. Rev. ed. 2009. 824p. Merriam-Webster, $17.95 (9780877796756).
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary for grades 3–5 has more than 36,000 entries and 800 illustrations. Synonyms, word histories, and word roots are presented in sidebars. A new—and unique—feature is the nearly 1,300 usage examples from 100 works of literature, including those by contemporary authors, such as Kate DiCamillo and J. K. Rowling, as well as classic authors, such as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain. The dictionary concludes with a reference section offering signs and symbols, a writer’s guide, a gazetteer, and U.S. and world maps.