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57 cartographic perspectives Number 43, Fall 2002 reviews Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition By Loy, William G. (editor); Al- len, Stuart; Buckley, Aileen R.; Meacham, James E. (authors) University of Oregon Press, 2001 301 pages More than 700 maps‚ hundreds of charts and diagrams Hardbound, ISBN: 0-87114-101-9, $100.00 Reviewed by Joseph Stoll Syracuse University When a review copy of the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition arrived, it was received with anticipation since many positive comments regarding it had been heard. Pag- ing through the atlas proved those expectations to be warranted since it is a visual feast. It was quickly realized that for greatest enjoy- ment, the atlas should be perused slowly—one topic or two topics at a sitting. It is well designed for this approach. The atlas will continue to reside on an easy- to-reach bookshelf for frequent examination of the myriad mas- terful maps, diagrams, and textual entries found in its approximately 300 pages. The Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition's appearance is taste- fully plain and gives an early indication of the atlas's quality. The opening pages, including an especially spacious and readable table of contents, are generally unadorned. The only graphics on these pages are two differently sized versions of the state seal. The atlas is pleasantly compact given the amount of material it contains. The reader need not be a body-builder or a contortionist to place the atlas on his or her lap and comfortably page through it, even over a lengthy period of time. The materials of the atlas seem adequately durable. The paper is of sufficient weight and seems to be of good quality. It holds colors well and its texture is suitable for reproduction of the delicate details found in some graphics and in fine lines of text characters. As the reader turns a page, contents of the next or previous pages are faintly visible through the paper, but not to the point of distraction. The pages are nicely laid out. They maintain a good balance of graphic and textual elements. The elements keep the pages interesting and interrelate well so the content does not seem gratuitous. The page designers have made good use of color and white-space. The pages are able to "breathe" even though a large number of them contain a high density of graphics and text. The atlas is colorful without be- coming garish. In nearly all cases the colors are appropriately and tastefully chosen. This is no small feat given the atlas's large number of maps and graphics with mul- tiple colors. From the standpoint of graphic legibility, the atlas fares quite well. The black type is distinct against the details of background graphics. There are occasional examples of colored type not reading clearly against a colored or detailed background. One such example can be found on the "Landforms: Shaded Relief" map. This map contains colored county lines and type that will likely be problematic for many readers of the atlas to distinguish against the relief background. There is also a significant amount of small-sized type that might require readers with eyesight disadvantages to use magnification. It is interesting to compare the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edi- tion with the Atlas of Oregon, First Edition. At first glance one sees the significant difference in the physical sizes of the two books. The Second Edition is considerably more compact. The page orienta- tion of the two editions has also changed. The Second Edition has a vertical orientation whereas the First Edition was oriented horizon- tally. The authors note that the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition differs from the First Edition by contain- ing more maps and less text. As one compares the two editions of the atlas, the Second Edition quick- ly confirms the authors' statement regarding the number of maps. It is less evident if the Second Edition contains less text since it is more efficiently placed and different fonts are used. In a direct comparison of maps from the two atlases, the differ- ence that will no doubt have the strongest impression upon any reader is the striking graphic qual- ity of the maps in the Second Edi- tion. They are technically executed to be of the top-notch caliber one would expect from the persons involved in its design and produc- tion. Since some of the producers of the Second Edition were also involved in the production of the First Edition, it becomes a glowing testament to their development as cartographic designers along with their abilities to select and direct capable cartographic technicians to produce an atlas of this excep- tional quality. The Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition is comprised of three main sections. The first section (approximately two-thirds of the atlas) containsthematic maps and associated text and diagrams. This section has three divisions: Hu- man Geography, The Economy, and Physical Geography. The second section contains 81 pages of Refer- ence Maps. These include popula- tion center maps, historic growth maps and more generalized reference maps. The third section of the atlas is a Reference section which includes USGS map index pages, a gazetteer, an essay on place names, sources and index.

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