Book reviews: Atlas of Australian resources, 2nd series

Summary

This review evaluates the second series of the Atlas of Australian Resources, comprising five thematic maps of relief, population change, forests, roads and airfields, and railways. It examines the atlas’s use of elevation tints, hill shading, differentiated symbols, and population-density base maps to reveal relationships among physical conditions, settlement, resources, and transport. The reviewer praises the clear depiction of forest structure, urban growth, rural depopulation, transport networks, and commodity flows. Although some brown elevation tones, heavy shading, and faint airfield symbols could be improved, the cartographic execution is judged more refined than in the first series. Overall, the atlas provides a dynamic, integrated understanding of Australia’s geography and economy and makes a significant scholarly and cultural contribution.