Encyclopedia of Geography
- Barney Warf - University of Kansas, USA
Simply stated, geography studies the locations of things and the explanations that underlie spatial distributions. Profound forces at work throughout the world have made geographical knowledge increasingly important for understanding numerous human dilemmas and our capacities to address them.
With more than 1,200 entries, the Encyclopedia of Geography reflects how the growth of geography has propelled a demand for intermediaries between the abstract language of academia and the ordinary language of everyday life. The six volumes of this encyclopedia encapsulate a diverse array of topics to offer a comprehensive and useful summary of the state of the discipline in the early 21st century.
Key Features
- Gives a concise historical sketch of geography's long, rich, and fascinating history, including human geography, physical geography, and GIS
- Provides succinct summaries of trends such as globalization, environmental destruction, new geospatial technologies, and cyberspace
- Decomposes geography into the six broad subject areas: physical geography; human geography; nature and society; methods, models, and GIS; history of geography; and geographer biographies, geographic organizations, and important social movements
- Provides hundreds of color illustrations and images that lend depth and realism to the text
- Includes a special map section
Key Themes
- Physical Geography
- Human Geography
- Nature and Society
- Methods, Models, and GIS
- People, Organizations, and Movements
- History of Geography
This encyclopedia strategically reflects the enormous diversity of the discipline, the multiple meanings of space itself, and the diverse views of geographers. It brings together the diversity of geographical knowledge, making it an invaluable resource for any academic library.
"Gr 10 Up-.... [M]ore than 1200 entries range in topic from the geography of children to electronic atlases and primate cities. The expected coverage is provided too, in entries addressing economic geography, soil erosion, and figures such as medieval geographer al-Idrisi.... Volume 6 boasts an 18-page atlas that includes crisp political maps of the world and the continents, a topographical map of the world, and a spread discussing and illustrating, in rich color, various world-map projections....[S]tudents of geography and other areas of social science...will appreciate the work’s thoroughness and its plentiful statistics, and color charts, photographs, and, of course, maps."-School Library Journal
"Articles are wide-ranging, approachable, and detailed without being burdensome; most are several pages long. Examples include 'animal geographies,' 'coal,' 'e-commerce and geography,' 'gender and nature,' 'mental maps,' and 'wise use movement.' See also references, additional reading, color illustrations, and an atlas section are included. BOTTOM LINE ....[M]edium and large institutions will probably want to acquire the SAGE title."-Library Journal
"This offering from SAGE is an excellent compilation of the subject in its present form that far outstrips all of the other encyclopedic resources on geography that might be on your shelves or database lists.... This is a beautiful encyclopedia, well put together, and nicely illustrated. It would be an essential purchase for any academic institution with a geography department, and something to be strongly considered by large public libraries. Also available as an e-book."-BOOKLIST (starred review)
"Essential. A must for academic libraries and larger public libraries;lower-division undergraduates, upper-division undergraduates, and general readers."
"The online version is fairly easy to use with a simple interface and navigation. A researcher would not need a lot of time to conduct research in this source. The ability to link from further readings, related topics and see also articles can assist in finding appropriate topic and/or more information."