Philips' Illustrated atlas of the world

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Philips' Illustrated Atlas of the World is designed for those whose interest go beyond the printed map. Good maps remain a prime source of geographical information - some would say the most important single source. The more they examined, the more they tell, and an atlas ungenerous of its maps is unworthy of the name. But there is more to the world than maps alone can show, especially to a generation brought up on travel films, TV documentaries and well-illustrated magazines. For them the world is already a colourful, lively place, part-known and well worth further study in broad, cross-disciplinary fields. And for them text and pictures must find a place in a modern atlas, preferably close to the maps, and complementing them with details of topography, climate, history, peoples, wildlife, economic activity, and national problems and aspirations. These are the details that distinguish one land from another, one community from another, and help to present the world as a place of infinite variety and interest.
In planning this atlas, therefor, we have sought text from a team of writers who know their areas well in more than a narrow geographical sense, and have matched their writing with a wide selection of colour photographs, setting both text and illustrations as close as possible to the maps they represent. To keep the text readable and within bounds, only minimal statistical data are included; precise values are tabulated in the section of statistical information on pp. 176-82. Regional climates are summarized in the margins of the maps they refer to. In the climatic tables temperatures are given as monthly and annual means; rainfall appears as monthly means and annual totals. Stations are listed in north-to-south sequence, and all appear on the map alongside; where alternative names are given on the map, the more prominent of the two appears in the table, and both versions are listed in the index.
This atlas owes much to the patience and skill of its in-house editor, Lydia Greeves, and to its designer, Frank Phillips. I thank also the four distinguished geographers who have acted as Consultant Editors.
Bernard Stonehouse