Monthly Review of Literature. 433 



WALKER'S County Atlas, being a Series of Forty-Six Maps of the 

 different Counties of England and Wales, Imperial Quarto. 

 T. and W. Walker^: and Longman. 



SEVERAL months ago, when this work was in progress, we took occasion to 

 speak favourably of its merits. We did so from the conviction, with which 

 we are still very strongly impressed, that these maps are a very valuable ac- 

 cession to our geographical literature. Before this work, of which we now 

 announce the completion, appeared, no County Atlas of any value could be 

 procured for less than seven or eight pounds at least ; and such maps were, of 

 course, quite out of the reach of all persons of moderate income. The maps 

 now before us may be had for one-fourth that sum ; and, in point of correct- 

 ness, we can conscientiously recommend them ; as we have ourselves em- 

 ployed them in minute geographical studies, that must have proved their 

 errors if there had been any at all appreciable. The Messrs. Walker deserve 

 the thanks of the public for the handsome and cheap work which they have 

 placed at the command of the well-educated and respectable classes of the 

 community. 



Edinburgh New General Atlas : 56 Maps Imperial. 14 numbers. 

 Edinburgh. Johnston. 



A work of such size, produced by publishers, whose other works have won 

 the good opinion of such men as Archdeacon Williams and Professor Dun- 

 bar, readily impressed us with anticipatory impressions in its favour. In 

 short notices, such as are appended to Magazines, laudatory articles are often 

 given to works of very little or no real merit. Our principle has always been 

 to temper justice with mercy, to do all in our power to encourage the as- 

 pirants to the honours of literature, but, nevertheless, not to neglect the in- 

 terests of truth. 



The first examination of these maps quite convinced us of their value ; but, 

 as we thought that a further enquiry would be necessary, we applied ourselves 

 with a good-natured diligence to find out the good points that we might find 

 in the six-guinea Atlas before us. 



There are two points, that we regard to be quite indispensable to the good 

 qualities of a map or set of maps ; namely, correctness of delineation 

 and neatness of execution. This at least is not unreasonable : for a map 

 can certainly be of no use to any one, if it does not supply the information 

 that is desired, respecting the position of the places searched after by the 

 enquirer ; and if its execution, in point of neatness and clearness, does not 

 forward the enquiries of the student, we may conclude that maps so deficient 

 can be consulted with no real advantage. 



The Editor of this Atlas may find, perhaps, that he has met with rather a 

 severe judge ; but, as the individual who writes this notice has devoted six 

 or seven years of uninterrupted labour to the study of geography as a science, 

 he expresses his opinion without hesitation, that the Edinburgh Atlas is 

 not in any way calculated to advance the knowledge of geography. 



We commencewith map No. 1, which is merely Mercator's projection ; we 

 may observe, that the positions of important places are most scandalously in- 

 correct. Oporto is placed at a very considerable distance from the river, to 

 which it owes its entire importance. Warsaw (in order to throw a doubt on 

 the veracity of all the accounts hitherto received concerning it), is placed on 

 the east side of the river, so as to render the affair of Praga of no avail what- 

 ever. So likewise of many other things unpardonable faults, even in a 

 general way we might, if it so pleased us, extend our strictures to twenty 

 pages instead of thirty lines. But we refrain. We have looked at and ex- 

 amined the other maps that have been submitted to our consideration ; but 

 we have no reason to alter the opinion that we have already given respecting 



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