The Atlas itself comprises two volumes; a map volume and a smaller volume devoted to commentaries on the maps. Opinion will clearly be divided on the efficacy of this design; some readers might well prefer a single volume, with the commentaries facing their respective maps.

As might be expected, there is some discussion of the nature of the New England Region. Various administrative and functional subdivisions which have been adopted by Government Departments and other public instrumentalities are compared with the boundaries adopted in the atlas and an attempt is made to examine the type of regional structure which might best meet the needs of the area.

Approximately the first third of the atlas is devoted to a discussion of the physical environment of the region. Maps and associated commentaries cover such aspects as relief, slope, geology, drainage, soils; climate and water resources. A series of maps depicting various facets of climate also illustrate some of the difficulties inherent in attempting to develop a regional description of climate. It is clear that the authors of this section have had to generalise from a quite limited data base, a fact which is a criticism of the inadequacy of instrumentation rather than of the authors themselves. The paucity of climatic data is illustrated by the use of statistics for Canberra to show discomfort due to low temperatures.

The pre-European settlement of the region and its exploration and settlement are given detailed and welcome attention and the reader will find material here which is often omitted from more general small-scale atlases. Although the section on population contains maps showing the distribution of various characteristics of the population, including population projections for small areas to the year 2000 A. D. , the Atlas appears to be deficient in that there is no discussion of the dynamics of population change. One would have expected some attempt to map and describe intra-regional variations in fertility, mortality, natural increase and net migration. It is unfortunate that virtually all the data on which the section on population is based have been drawn from the 1971 Census. Although the authors can hardly be taken to task for the lack of availability of the results of the 1976 Census, the use of data’ which is ageing, if not obsolescent, will tend to date the Atlas at a more rapid rate than would normally be expected.

Although a section on land cover and another on land use describe agricultural activities of the region in a general way, no consideration is given to variations within the region of the level of capital investment, the use of fertiliser, crop yields or stocking rates. The distribution of principal crops and livestock within the region is shown by symbols superimposed on a generalised land use map. The result is visually confusing, whilst the boundaries of major crop-production areas are ill-defined. The rather terse treatment accorded to agricultural activity appears somewhat at odds with the predominantly rural nature of the region.

A section on the ‘Economic Indicators’ and another on ‘Social Indicators’ are useful attempts to highlight the dynamics of development and change within the region. They also reflect the genesis of the Atlas in a survey of ‘Social Needs’ undertaken by staff of the Department of Geography at the University of New England, the atlas thus has something of a bias towards providing basic data for the development of a Regional Plan. Although a section on unemployment is welcome, and forms an indispensable part of the chapter on ‘Economic indicators’, the value of a map showing unemployment in 1971-1972 must be questioned in the light of the current state of profound economic recession.

Readers will find the chapter on Tourism of considerable interest. A map which shows the general location of scenic attractions, and another which shows facilities available for the tourist, make quite welcome and valuable additions to the material normally contained in atlases. The contributors of this chapter quite rightly point out the existing and potential contribution of tourism to the local, economy.

A Chapter on ‘Residential Desirability’ reflects the current concern of Geographers for the perceived environment. A series of maps showing those parts of the Region considered most desirable by its inhabitants has interesting implications for future internal migration.

A desire to keep printing costs to a minimum has led to the production of most of the maps in monochrome rather than colour. The standard of cartography and of reproduction is extremely high, however, and the atlas loses nothing because of this.

The editors make it clear that they have left the length and content of the commentaries to the judgment of the contributors. However, the reader may well find the contrast between the longer, detailed commentaries, such as that accompanying the Geological map of the region, and the somewhat brief and terse comments, such as those accompanying the Land Cover map, rather off putting. In general, however, the authors of the commentaries have attempted to strike a middle course between a pedestrian description of the distributions shown on the maps, on the one hand, and a too-technical discussion of methodology on the other. Each chapter is followed by a short bibliography for those readers who might wish to pursue issues raised in the chapter in greater detail. If the principal difference between an atlas and a geography textbook is that the former mainly presents a series of maps and statistical material and lets the reader apply his own interpretation of the distributions thus represented, the authors have clearly been at pains to keep the ‘amount of interpretation in their commentaries to a minimum.’

The Atlas will clearly be a valuable tool for those studying the New England region. Although it appears to omit certain fairly basic information, it nevertheless constitutes a very useful and effective data base for the study of the Region. It will find ready acceptance in School and University Libraries and, at the price at which it is offered, on the shelves of those who know the Region and wish to better understand its nature, problems and prospects for development.