Books Received: Atlas of Australian Resources

This review assesses five map-and-commentary sheets issued in 1956–1958 for the Atlas of Australian Resources, bringing the thirty-part series close to completion. Drawing on governmental, statistical, and scholarly sources, the maps document educational facilities, health services, dominant rural land use, ports and shipping, and population change between 1947 and 1954. Their commentaries combine national and urban maps with tables and historical analysis. They outline specialized education, health administration and care, the physical and economic determinants of rural industries, patterns of maritime trade and port development, and the demographic forces reshaping Australia. Particular attention is given to improved life expectancy, hospital provision, major trade flows, and postwar urban–rural redistribution. The collection offers a concise, visually effective account of Australia’s institutional infrastructure, economic geography, and exceptional postwar population growth, with the land-use map singled out as especially successful.