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58 Number 43, Fall 2002 cartographic perspectives In reading the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition, it is helpful that each set of facing pages is a self- contained topic. This enables the reader to read the text and study the related graphics without the distraction of turning pages ahead or back. The only activities requir- ing the reader to turn pages are when he or she moves to a new topic or compares between maps/ topics. The upper left corner of each left page contains a header that shows the topic exactly as it appears in the Table of Contents. The reader is also assisted by an Index of key words at the end of the atlas. The combination of Table of Contents, headers, and the Index provide straightforward and adequate navigation assistance to readers. Cross-referencing or map-com- parison is an important use of any atlas. Readers examine multiple maps by comparing data in one location with the same or similar data in other locations. They might also compare maps at different scales in order to gain understand- ing of locations. Readers are as likely to perform map-comparison as they are to confine examination to a single map. When readers of the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition wish to perform cross-referencing or map-comparison, they must be prepared for a considerable amount of page-turning. This is due to the number of maps in the atlas and the varying scales of maps the reader might wish to compare. This is not an unusual problem regarding atlases nor is it unusually problematic in this atlas. Since the reader does not find ref- erence maps until the final third of the atlas, a large number of pages must be turned if reference maps are consulted for additional loca- tional information while thematic maps are being studied in the front part of the book. Map-comparison of this nature could be improved with inclusion of a state-wide gen- eral reference map near the front of the book. The thematic portion of the atlas contains material cover- ing an interdisciplinary range of subjects. Historians will find material related to early maps of Oregon, Native American history, early exploration and settlement, immigration, social and political development, population growth, and place name origins. Human geographers and social scientists will find material related to im- migration, population growth, race and ethnicity, and several addi- tional topics related to the social development of Oregon. Economic geographers and economists will find material related to a variety of sectors and occupational compo- nents of Oregon's economy. Physi- cal geographers and scientists will find material related to Oregon's landforms, geologic history, soils, water, vegetation, wildlife, and climate. The topics covered in the thematic portion of the atlas are treated with striking maps and diagrams that invite careful examination. The interrelation- ship between text and graphics is evident. Each successfully supple- ments the other. The Introduction to the atlas states that very little information from the 2000 census was available in time to be included and that the date of "most recent" informa- tion varies from subject to subject. Examples of this variation readily appear. Readers will find "most re- cent" year labels on graphics rang- ing from 1990 to 2000, with most seeming to fall in the late 1990s and 2000. There is an instance in the review copy of the atlas where proportional symbols are labeled with year 2000 population totals by county and appear inconsistent with bar graphs on the same page that also show year 2000 popula- tion data for each county. This was the most puzzling instance encountered involving variation of "most recent" information. Readers who are serious about researching Oregon will appreci- ate the reference materials in the final section of the atlas. Of special value to researchers is the Sources section containing bibliographic information for each topic found in the atlas. The Atlas of Oregon, Second Edi- tion authors note the atlas is an at- tempt to illustrate and explain, by use of maps, the "essential nature of Oregon." It is also intended to be a reference that presents infor- mation in map form that previous- ly existed only in tables, lists, and text. Finally the atlas is intended to be a tribute from the authors to the State of Oregon. In this reviewer's opinion, the authors have accomplished their goals. The contents of the atlas portray the nature of Oregon in its historical, social, cultural, econom- ic and physical complexity. The sheer number of colorful, well-de- signed maps and diagrams indi- cate that a considerable amount of non-graphic information has undergone a graphic conversion. The result is an attention-grabbing and fascinating tool for the study of Oregon. This seems a very fit- ting tribute to the beautiful state of Oregon. Apart from the addition of a state reference map in an early chapter and some graphic rework- ing of lines and text against the vi- sual details of relief maps, there is little else one could wish to change about the atlas. Examination of the Atlas of Oregon, Second Edition finds it to be a superb atlas that is most highly recommended. It will likely become (and may already be) the standard against which forthcom- ing state atlases will be measured.

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