Product Description
Positioned at the top of Oxford's atlas range, the Deluxe Edition incorporates a host of large-scale North American maps plus a substantial number of completely new topographical maps of Asia and the Pacific where international interest is increasingly focused. The New York Times Book Review called the Atlas of the World a "veritable encyclopedia of geographic and demographic information," but this new volume will do even better. Building on the strength and integrity of its smaller predecessor, the Deluxe Edition adds 33 more city maps (for a total of 100) and 102 pages of geopolitical maps (making 278 in all), to remain at the forefront of essential geographic resources. Oxford's distinctive cartographic style, combining layer-colored contours with hill shading gives an exceptionally vivid depiction of landforms and the expanded index includes geographical features, historical placenames, as well as full latitude and longitude coordinates. As always, the atlas has been fully updated to reflect the changing world around us and the opening Introduction to World Geography--designed in a fresh manner and beautifully illustrated--adds a quick reference tool to a book already teeming with useful information. Refined name forms, extra detail in maps of the oceans, more vital statistics and dozens of other improvements make this the most reliable atlas on the market. Published in a protective slip-case that is more compact than the leading competition the Deluxe Edition makes reference easier and storage more convenient. The full-page satellite images that have generated such excitement in the past are still present, as is the popular Regions in the News feature. Plus, this volume offers expanded coverage of Mexico, Scandinavia, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Central Asia, Korea, Taiwan, Ethiopia, Australia and New Zealand. Plus six maps of the ocean floor mean that not one inch of the Earth's crust is overlooked. Maps of the moon aren't forgotten either and form another component in this astounding new resource. Providing the finest global coverage available, the Deluxe Edition raises the bar by which all other world atlases will be measured.
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A Great Altas for Students and Anyone Else Interested in Global Events
The new Oxford Atlas of the World Deluxe Edition represents a breakthrough in the areas of research, skill, and ease of use. As an author and educator with over 35 years of teaching experience, I found its maps are large and easy to read, and it includes exceptionally vivid depictions of landforms such as mountains, rivers, and deserts. There are so many large scale maps of many places in the news today, such as Mexico, Israel, Jordan, Korea, and Central Asis, that it seemed to bring the world into my own living room with increased awareness. Indeed, it provides more coverage of North America, the United States, Europe and Asia than any other atlas I have used or seen in libraries. The clarity of the maps is truly amazing. There must be over 275 detailed topographic maps as well as a set of six ocean floor maps and maps of the Moon and the night sky. As if this weren't enough, I found the more than 100 metropolitan maps and city center plans for major cities around the world an added bonus. It is great if you are traveling or writing about a specific place. In addition, I found the protective slip case it comes with takes up less space than many other cumbersome reference books. For my money, this Atlas makes a great addition for anyone interested in following world events, and a fantastic holiday or birthday gift for students of all ages.
The best world Atlas out there today - and the most updated
Contrary to what the first reviewer said, my copy arrived in pristine condition and I really appreciate the very sturdy slipcase that it came with, which will ensure that the binding holds up really well - I've bought atlases in years past without this case, and they get really stressed on the bindings after a lot of use. I don't think that will happen here. This is definitely THE most up-to-date Atlas available, it even includes the new traditional South African city names, which is a change that's been happening over the past several years. I looked at the National Geographic 8th Edition atlas, and it didn't include this information. My kids are using the atlas all the time for homework, and I know I can trust that the information is current, accurate - and they can read the type! The city/place names are really clear. The satellite imagery is absolutely stunning. This is the finest atlas I've ever bought and would recommend it to all.
A great atlas. Pray it comes to you intact, that's all.
The one star is from an earlier version of this review in which the atlas came damaged (binding torn clean through for 3 inches from the top) and Amazon made it very difficult for me to exchange it. All that's in the past now, and if I were to rate this again (the Amazon interface doesn't let you change the rating), I would give it five stars.
Recently I bought the 11th Edition of the Times Atlas of the World from Amazon. A couple weeks later this Oxford came out. It is a lot easier to to read than the Times atlas because the names aren't as densely packed (so there are a lot less of them)and even though the pages are considerably smaller than the Times, there are twice as many of them, so the coverage is even better, especially for U.S. users.
The topography is also much more graphic (some might say garish), making interpretation of physical features easier than the Times. Also the topical maps are more interesting in this Oxford than the Times. In fact, I'd say they're downright fascinating! It is a lot of fun looking at this Oxford atlas. The Times I'd say is more business-like and scholarly. The Oxford might be higher on the entertainment scale, and has a terrific section of city maps (almost a trademark of Oxford atlases of all sizes). The Times has no city maps at all. My 8th edition of the Times on the other hand has lots of large and very clear city maps. I don't know why the Times moved away from this feature.
At any rate, I couldn't resist buying the Oxford, the best Oxford atlas I've ever seen, even though I'd just bought the much more expensive Times (which is the 4th edition of the Times that I've bought - 7th, 8th (which I still have and will never get rid of because of its many unique large scale maps that neither this Oxford nor the latest Times has), 10th (which I just sold) and now the 11th). The Times' maps are physically beautiful and tasteful and they are the most detailed available in a world atlas, but this Oxford is easier on the eyes to read. To do the Times justice, I actually need a magnifying glass to read it! When all is said and done, however, it's hard to say which atlas I'll be using more, and unfortunately for my pocket book, I wouldn't be without either of them.
A negative is, I don't trust the binding. For a book this heavy and expensive, it should be more robust. You know that no matter how much you use it, the Times is not going to fall apart (I have years of experience with four different editions to know that this is true). I'm not so sure about this Oxford. After all, my original came with the torn binder. You can bet I'm going to treat this Oxford gently. With the Times, I've never had to treat it with kid gloves. It is a robust, handsome binding, and not about to fall apart with a little careless handling like I'm afraid the Oxford might. My advice: break the Oxford binding in slowly, as it comes new out of the box very stiff. This undoubtedly makes it susceptible to damage if you open it suddenly when you first get it.