Universal Geography

This third edition of Geografia universal carries on the tradition of the French geographies universelles. Prepared by a team of young geographers from the Universidad de Barcelona working under the direction of Carreras Verdaguer, a professor of human geograpahy at the university, it combines the features of several reference sources: an encyclopedic examination of every country; a brief country fact file including data such as one would find in an almanac (basic demographics, economic statistics, political facts, etc.); the cartographic qualities of an atlas; and stunning color photographs. Volume 1 furnishes an overview of the world, with sections on physical, cultural, and economic/political geography. Volumes 2-8 group individual countries by region. The final volume contains general indexes and a glossary of basic geography terms. In addition, each volume has several ""monographic articles,"" two-page discussions of special topics (e.g., ""Africa, a Possible Dump for Toxic Wastes?"" and ""Palestine: The Difficult Crossroads""). The information presented is up-to-date and accurate. The editors balance scholarship and attractive graphic presentation in order to make the work both enjoyable and useful. The stated goal is to provide a treatment in proportion to each country's relative importance, although the editors acknowledge that Spain and Latin America receive slightly more coverage, given the book's target audience. The set is of excellent quality, is a good value, and will be a welcome addition to academic libraries with specialized geography collections and to public libraries needing Spanish-language reference materials. David Pardue, Univ. of Kansas Libs., Lawrence