Book reviews: Atlas of Australian resources

This review assesses the Atlas of Australian Resources, prepared by Australia’s Department of National Development. Planned to comprise about fifty sheets, the atlas covers natural foundations—especially soils, climate, and vegetation—as well as population, settlement, economic activity, and transport. The first installment contains ten technically accomplished map sheets depicting mainland Australia and Tasmania, accompanied by explanatory booklets written by specialists. Although these texts usefully interpret and supplement the maps, they sometimes remain detached from the cartographic material and provide insufficient discussion of sources and methods. Moreover, the smaller-scale thematic maps cannot support detailed local analysis. Nevertheless, the atlas promises a broad, though inevitably incomplete, overview of Australia’s natural, cultural, and governmental conditions; a definitive assessment must await the remaining sheets.