REVIEWS 177 



appreciate, for example, the geographic conditions which controlled 

 every move of the contending armies of the Civil War in Virginia is to 

 make intelligible a chapter of American history from which otherwise 

 one gets but a confused, meaningless impression. 



The scope of Professor Brigham's book is indicated by the chapter 

 headings: "The Eastern Gateway of the United States;" "Shore-Line 

 and Hilltop in New England;" "The Appalachian Barrier;" "The 

 Great Lakes and American Commerce;" "The Prairie Country;" 

 "Cotton, Rice, and Cane;" "The Civil War;" "Where Little Rain 

 Falls;" "Mountain, Mine, and Forest." As these topics suggest, the 

 author's view-point is always that of the geographer. The treatment 

 of the subject is simple and somewhat popular, the book being designed 

 primarily for a non-professional class of readers. 



Miss Semple's book is a distinct contribution. The geographic 

 influences which have shaped the trend of American history, from the 

 discovery of the continent to the present, are treated in a scholarly and 

 judicious manner. The inclusive character of the book is shown by 

 the titles of the chapters: "The Atlantic States of Europe the Discov- 

 erers and Colonizers of America;" "The Rivers of North America in 

 Early Exploration and Settlement;" "The Influence of the Appa- 

 lachian Barrier upon Colonial History;" "The Westward Movement in 

 Relation to the Physiographic Features of the Appalachian System;" 

 "Geographical Environment of the Early Trans-Allegheny Settle- 

 ments;" "The Louisiana Purchase in the Light of Geographic Con- 

 ditions;" "Geography of the Atlantic Coast in Relation to the 

 Development of American Sea Power;" "Geography of Sea and Land 

 Operations in the War of 1812;" "Spread of Population in the Mis- 

 sissippi Valley as Affected by Geographic Conditions;" "Geographic 

 Control of Expansion into the Far West: the Southern Routes;" 

 "Expansion into the Far West by the Northern Trails;" "Growth of 

 the United States to a Continental Power Geographically Determined ;" 

 "The Geography of the Inland Waterways;" "The Geography of the 

 Civil War;" "Geographical Distribution of Immigration;" "Geo- 

 graphical Distribution of Cities and Industries;" "Geographical Dis- 

 tribution of Railroads;" "The United States in Relation to the 

 American Mediterranean;" "The United States as a Pacific Ocean 

 Power." 



Miss Semple has been skilful in the selection of material from the 

 great mass of scattered data. Irrelevant matters are invariably excluded, 

 and the conclusions reached are generally fundamental. New light is 



