PICK OF THE WEEK
Hammond World Atlas, Third Edition
(Hammond, $69.95)
For years, we’ve been using the National Geographic Atlas of the World, revised Sixth Edition, as a reference here at the Travel desk. That book came out in 1992, and I mention it because when you look at it and the brand new Hammond World Atlas together, you get a good picture of how the world has changed in the past eight years. The Hammond starts off with a two-page history of cartography, followed by two more pages that explain the various ways in which map makers tackle the problem of projecting a spherical surface onto a flat page — a lesson our old National Geographic doesn’t teach till the inside back cover. The Hammond offers charts, graphs and distribution maps for world population, languages, religions, standards of living, energy, industry, agriculture and climate — topics that our old atlas addresses, but not nearly in such detail. And the Hammond has a huge time-zone map in back. However, the most striking differences between the two are apparent in the regional grids. Hammond has chosen a palette of subtle, earthy colors that makes it easier to read the names of lesser villages and rivers. Pages in our National Geographic are bigger, but that only leads to more place names, all crowding one another on a glaring white background (so that we really do need the magnifier that came with it). The other subtlety of Hammond’s is that political borders are indicated in soft gray, whereas our old National Geographic outlines them in opposing colors. Hammond groups its 15 pages of physical maps together, rather than parceling them out as “chapter” introductions like the one we’ve been using. The Hammond people tell us that this is their 100th anniversary and that this new atlas is 100 percent digitized. But that’s not what makes this atlas significant. What does is that it shows an Earth on its way to becoming one world, where rivers, mountains and bays hold equal status with national boundaries. Interesting thing is, we might not have seen all that without the old National Geographic as a foil.
POCKET GUIDES
“Florence”
(Rough Guides, $$11.95)
One of the secrets to good writing — and to other endeavors as well — is knowing when to stop, learning to judge when enough’s enough. Rough Guides has found that stopping point with its series of pocket guides. The full-fledged Rough Guides are renowned for their scope and thoroughness. For example, their new title on France measures 5 by 7 3/4 inches and packs 1,115 type-laden pages between its covers. But while we’ll agree that a serious traveler can never know too much about a place, we’d also like to feel that when we arrive there’s still something left for us to discover on our own. That’s why this Mini Rough Guide to Florence, at just a bit over 4 by 5 1/2 inches and 338 pages, is better than the big boys. It informs, but without overwhelming. With color-coded type and a little more space between lines of print, its smaller format is surprisingly easier to read. It tells you how many steps and cramped spaces to expect if you intend to climb Brunelleschi’s dome (the Duomo), but it lets you discover the view. It directs you to one of Italy’s best gelaterias, but it lets you taste the flavors. It’s useful, sharing the good news about extended hours at the Uffizi during 2000. And it’s insightful, lamenting briefly how Florence broke Dante’s heart. Then, just like that, it leaves you with eight full-color maps — and your curiosity intact.
“Wicked Irish for the Traveler”
(Workman, $4.95)
I’ve been putting this one off. It’s not that this is all that bad a title, as bathroom books go. And it’s not that it isn’t funny; for it is, in the adolescent way only a Mad Magazine fan can savor. It’s just that the 64 pages here, as they attempt to translate smart-aleck American English phrases into Gaelic — complete with tortured pronunciation prompts — make Ireland out to be a confounded place best visited vicariously, preferably through this book. In their turn, these 64 pages here are best visited whilst sitting on “the throne.” (212-254-5900)
“Boulangerie!”
(Ten Speed Press, $9.95)
Bread heads, rejoice! Here’s the “Pocket Guide to Paris’s Famous Bakeries.” Co-author Jack Armstrong, who first saw the City of Light from the back of an Army truck in 1945, has returned many times since then to reconnoiter. This is his “intelligence” report on more than 220 Paris bakeries, arrondissement by arrondissement. (510-559-1600)
MAGAZINES
Backpacker
(December 1999, $3.50)
The greatest show on Earth may really be in the skies, in the playful circus of northern lights, the aurora borealis. Performance times aren’t guaranteed, but Jeff Rennicke’s “And the Sky Will Dance” explains the phenomena, relates the experience of seeing the lights and, best of all, tells you when and where to go for the best chances of seeing them for yourself.
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Toni Stroud’s e-mail address is tstroud@tribune.com.
