Canadian Oxford Intermediate Atlas. 2nd ed.

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Overall this volume does not vary greatly in format from the 1984
edition. Anyone who had difficulty using that first edition in the
classroom without supplementation will find many of the same kinds of
problems with this one. Some maps have not been changed at all; some
have been revised; and others have been completely replaced.

Parts of the atlas are quite dated. The statistical section contains
few figures more recent than 1990, and many are older. For example, the
numbers for the value of sea fish products by province are from 1986.
There have been drastic changes in both the East and West Coast
fisheries since 1986. However, some parts of the atlas have been updated
in the light of the events of the past five years. For example, the map
of Europe shows a unified Germany and the new Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Some of the changes in the atlas seem rather odd. For example, the map
showing the current distribution of major Native linguistic groups has
been replaced by one showing the distribution as it was before European
contact. While the historical map is undoubtedly useful for instruction
in history, it is not particularly useful for the discussion of current
Native affairs, a subject that is taught in intermediate grades in some
jurisdictions.

Similarly, an odd change has been made to the Alberta Natural Resource
Industries map. On the original map, sawn timber was shown as an
industry. In the new edition, the sawn-timber industry, still an
important part of the economy, has been replaced by that of pulp and
paper. Unfortunately, none of the five pulp-and-paper mills built in
northern Alberta in the past five years are shown. This renders the map
useless for any discussion of this industry.

Many of the thematic maps are in very small scales, which means that
the information is either selective or highly generalized. For example,
the Canada Parks map is at a scale of 1:40,000,000, with the result that
only a few of the parks are indicated.

Given a choice, I prefer the similarly priced 1989 Nelson Intermediate
Atlas. The format is larger, more of the maps are oriented vertically on
the page, and overall the style and presentation of the maps is clearer
and easier to understand. Not a first-choice purchase.