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DK World Reference Atlas (Revised)
by DK Publishing
Product Group: Book
Publisher: DK ADULT (1996-10-01)
ISBN: 0789410850
EAN: 9780789410856
Dewy Decimal #: 912
Hardcover: 732 pages
Edition: 2nd
SKU: FL0187
Condition: Good
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
Split into four main sections: the world today, A-Z Nations of the world, global issues, and an index-gazetteer.
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Amazon.com Review
What is the name of Burma's unit of currency? What does the Uzbekistani flag look like? What is the largest lake in South America? A glimpse into the World Reference Atlas will reveal the answers. This colorful book is brimming with useful information about the world around us. The book begins and ends with "world views," including maps of the political and physical world and overviews of global issues such as population, tourism, and hunger and disease. The heart of the book is the 567 pages of information presented on a country-by-country basis--from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. Each national profile includes a detailed map of the country, the national flag, and charts detailing everything from the country's climate and social makeup to its economy and educational level. Quick-reference charts on the inside front and back covers help you keep track of the many icons representing a wide range of statistics. As with all such books, some of the information became incorrect as soon as it was published. Carefully updated for 1998, the book notes Princess Diana's death in August 1997 but went to press before the Iraqi refusal to allow UN inspections in October1997. If this book has a drawback, it is simply that it is difficult to put down. You'll be able to find the information you seek quickly--but you may find yourself distracted by the rest of the book. With its clean layout, fascinating information presented in a clear, straightforward manner, thousands of illustrations, charts, and maps, this atlas would be an excellent addition to any home library. --C.B. Delaney
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Customer Reviews
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Same book...different title.
Rating  (5)
Date: 2002-06-26
10 out of 11 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is an amazingly useful atlas of all the countries of the world broken down into various key areas. It is now being published under the title The Financial Times World Reference Atlas. After looking for an updated version of this title for years I came across it on Amazon.co.uk site and it is also available from the US site. Hope this info helps others who have been seeking a recent updated edition also.
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Should be a subscription
Rating (5)
Date: 2001-11-02
5 out of 6 customers found this reveiw helpful
One of the best purchases I've made. This reference is an outstanding one-stop-shop of background information on the countries and other political entities of the world.
The editors have done a superb job of distilling essential information about various states and putting it into a format that is quickly digested, formatted to facilitate comparisons with other states, and is well suited to provide a quick snapshot of a broad spectrum of information.
This organization is of immense value when one needs a quick lesson on a state or region with which one is unfamiliar. It is similar in function to the CIA World Factbook, but far superior in at least two respects. First, not being funded by the government, D-K had to make its material more presentable. Second, ironically enough, the D-K version contains a great deal more analysis. Of course, it's not complete or comprehensive; but anyone expecting to get complete and comprehensive in a single volume small enough to carry shouldn't be trusted with books or matches. It's not enough to make you smart, but it's perfect to take the edge off of your ignorance long enough for you to get to the library.
The only shortcoming of the format is that the information is perishable. I feel compelled to purchase a new one whenever it's available, and while this may give the accountants at D-K a warm and happy glow, I'd rather see a loose-leaf format where one could purchase a subscription to annual or biannual updates.
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Excellent!
Rating (5)
Date: 2001-08-20
This book is great--packed with facts-- and very well organized so everything is easy to find. The illustrations are great too. My only question is when is the new edition coming out?
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Adequate but Not Worthy of the Praises
Rating  (2)
Date: 2000-11-10
4 out of 9 customers found this reveiw helpful
I was disappointed the first moment I received my copy of this book. I asked my self, where are the maps? My expection for an Atlas was a collection of maps. Other reference materials are welcome but they are incidental. If I were to look for the reference materials, I would have gone for the CIA World Fact Book (all the information of which is available free on-line through the CIA's web site). The maps of this book are buried in pages and pages of reference materials. For most countries, the ratio is as much as 1 page of map versus 5 pages of other materials. It simply does not have the feel of an Atlas.This shortcoming alone can only downgrade this book to three stars, as it has some merits as discussed below. One factual error made me down grade this book even further. It indicates that China was established in 1912, and Taiwan 1949. In reality, the regime in Beijing claimed its foundation in 1949, and the one in Taipei 1912. The book merits the two stars for the following featuures that I liked, among others: The color maps indicate land height. There is a section that deals with territories of the world that are not contries. For example, have you heard about Jonston Atoll and Kingman Reef? Well the book will tell you that both are U.S. Territories.
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Superb source of info - highly recommended
Rating (5)
Date: 2000-10-04
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
I ordered this book based on the customer reviews that I had read, and I wasn't disappointed. This book earns every star it gets and more. It is very well organized with colorful, easy-to-read graphs and charts. The information presented on each country is beyond belief: health, wealth, ethnicity, environment, resources, education, politics, foreign aid, transportation, history, etc, etc, etc. Each heading usually gives some sort of graph/chart with a concise, easy-to-understand explanation. Well worth the money.
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