Some remarks on the Atlas of the USSR

This paper contains two independent academic reviews. The first, authored by D. D. Lavrov, offers a detailed critique of the Atlas of the USSR, published in 1962 by the Main Administration of Geodesy and Cartography of the USSR Ministry of Geology and Mineral Protection. The author characterizes the atlas as a comprehensive reference work organized into three sections: general reference maps, physical maps, and economic maps. The review highly commends the overall quality of the atlas, particularly the geological, tectonic, geomorphological, and vegetation maps, while also identifying certain shortcomings, such as the absence of a physiographic regionalization map, the suboptimal background design of the mineral resources map, and the insufficient content density of some economic maps. The second review, authored by V. Ya. Tikhonov, presents a shortened technology for copper-plating aluminum plates. This method reduces the traditional seven-step process to five steps by adjusting the graining process parameters and omitting the post-first-copper-plating graining and the second copper-plating step, thereby enhancing production efficiency while maintaining print quality, making it suitable for large-volume printing tasks.