From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up–This oversized atlas is packed with statistics, population and geographical information, and more. Throughout the volume, multiple, striking spreads preceding the regional and country maps present facts about biomes, technology, natural resources, politics, extremes, and flags, to name just a few of the topics. Each section of maps has an introduction to the continent that includes statistics and charts for birth rates, climate, and employment. Unfortunately, these special features are not listed in the index, which serves as a gazetteer to the maps included. The easy-to-read, easy-to-find maps (450-plus, including a number of foldouts) offer a wealth of information on political borders, physical features, major cities, land elevation, cultural features, and bodies of water. The bold graphic design is eye-pleasing, but occasionally busy when too much information is packed onto a spread. Nonetheless, students will find much to pore over here.–Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Reader's Digest has published a new medium-sized atlas with maps from European Map Graphics Ltd. Previous Reader's Digest atlases have used Rand McNally or Bartholomew maps. As is often the case, the title of this atlas is very similar to that of the desk or school atlas published by Reader's Digest: Illustrated Atlas of the World (5th ed., 2004). The new atlas appears to replace the Reader's Digest Illustrated Great World Atlas (1997).The atlas under review has 200 pages of maps and a gazetteer of 80,000 place-names. The first 50-plus pages are devoted to weather, migration, resources, communication, and other global topics. These pages are eye-catching, with tables, graphs, pie charts, and full-color photos. Preceding the atlas section are two pages providing instructions for using maps with keys to symbols. The maps are arranged by continent, beginning with Australasia and going west to Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Classic atlases, such as Oxford's Atlas of the World (12th ed., 2004), begin with Europe, and some atlases now put the Americas first. Each continent section starts with three two-page spreads containing a variety of graphics showing the highest, longest, and largest geographic features and data on population, climate, employment, and more along with a political map with capitals of countries underlined. The regional maps that follow are topographical, using lots of color, which makes it difficult to read some small place-names, boundaries, and mountain passes. International airports are clearly indicated with the IATA code (IAD, ORD, LHR), and regional airports just have a plane symbol. On one map, the code for LaGuardia Airport (LGA) appears in Hyannis, Mass., as well as correctly in New York. On the outside margin of each right page, the area being shown is indicated in vertical letters, which is useful for quickly finding a map. Some maps also have the page numbers for continuation maps, another useful feature. There are five foldout maps--of the Caribbean, the Himalayas, the Mediterranean, Rift Valley, and the Yangtze River--that clearly illustrate the formation of these areas. In a check of 10 cities and towns mentioned in a current New York Times, eight were listed in the gazetteer and found on a map. However, no specific city maps are included--city maps are a feature found in some but not all medium-sized atlases. The gazetteer includes cultural, hydrographic, and topographic features as well as place-names, with symbols denoting the different feature types. For countries, a box is inserted in the column where the country is listed, giving the area, population, life expectancy, literacy, languages, and GDP. Illustrated World Atlas is recommended for libraries that need an additional midsize, current atlas. It is comparable to The New Concise World Atlas (Oxford, 2003). The hardcover of the atlas is identical to the attractive dust jacket, so libraries that discard the jacket will still have an eye-catching volume. Christine Bulson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Want to update your knowledge of today's world-and be able to share it with your children? Indulge your passion for travel-without ever leaving home? Or just enjoy a dazzling new view of planet Earth? The Illustrated World Atlas let's you do all that and more in one brand-new, magnificent, eye-opening volume.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Want to update your knowledge of today's world-and be able to share it with your children? Indulge your passion for travel-without ever leaving home? Or just enjoy a dazzling new view of planet Earth? The Illustrated World Atlas let's you do all that and more in one brand-new, magnificent, eye-opening volume.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

The editors of Reader's Digest have revised, updated, and expanded their 1997 Illustrated Great World Atlas, enhancing what was already an excellent value in moderately priced full-size world atlases. The new work reflects all of the most recent geopolitical changes, including recently independent East Timor and Serbia & Montenegro. European Map Graphics, Ltd., has replaced Rand McNally as the source of cartography, and the 95 mainly full-page topographical maps that make up most of the atlas feature breathtakingly dramatic terrain modeling in the use of color and shading for a truly 3-D effect. Beginning with Oceania, the sequence of maps moves westward, with sections for each continent preceded by two statistical and one political map. Five double fold-out maps spotlight regions with particularly interesting landscapes: the Yangtze River valley, the Himalayas, the Mediterranean basin, East Africa's Rift valley, and the Caribbean basin. Twenty-four introductory world thematic maps with illustrations and text explore topics ranging from demographics, flags, and economics to biodiversity and the environment. The index, which has been doubled in size, features more than 80,000 entries for countries, cities, and geographical features. Bottom Line This work could be called a gazetteer inasmuch as it includes profile boxes for each country with official name, area, capital, organizations, population growth rate, life expectancy, languages, literacy, currency, GDP, and per capita GDP. High quality and reasonable price make it an excellent choice for all libraries.-Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal