Times Atlas of the World Reviews
"Discussion continues about the demise of atlases. There is a great temptation to use the Internet for geographical queries, and usually an answer may be found quickly and easily. But questions of authority and accuracy remain, questions that can be resolved by taking the time to use the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World. It is a recommended source for any library or individual who can afford it."
"What a beautiful, detailed and useful book. It will provide our family great educational entertainement for years even if it is very bulky!"
“With commercial restraints being what they are today the danger that quality may be sacrificed in favour of cost-cutting is omnipresent. There are far too many examples in the market place where maps get published with little or no regard to the accuracy, currency, and usability of the product. I am pleased to say that there is little evidence of this here. In fact, I would suggest that the editorial and research processes demonstrate a commitment to continual improvement of the product as well as thorough revision of its content.
The whole experience of owning a Times Comprehensive Atlas is pleasurable from removing it from its box for the first time to the hours spent poring over the maps.”
"This is without a doubt the best atlas available. I have other atlases from other publishers but they come nowhere near the Times Atlas for detail. ... If I want to look up a place this is the first reference I turn to. It says 'Comprehensive Atlas of the World' on the cover and that is exactly what it is."
The Independent - Ten Best Atlases (19 Jun 08)
The Times Atlas of the World (12th Comprehensive edition) is awarded ‘Best Luxury Buy’, Rebecca Armstrong.
"Content has been screened in detail by professional editors, and the cartographic quality is good and uniform over all maps. It is also much easier to browse and compare the maps - contrary to what you expect from a web browser. And another advantage, and not a small one, the maps are big - there is overview."
"For a mental escape from England, I cannot recommend a flight through the pages of The Times Atlas too highly. You need neither passport nor air ticket, though you will probably have to leave your armchair since the book weighs a lap-crushing 5.8 kilos." Christopher Hirst
The Independent - Christmas Gifts pullout (7 Dec 07)
"Here’s the book that Google Earth wants to be when it grows up. The Times Comprehensive Atlas is just that: the definitive global bible for intrepid travellers and armchair explorers alike, as used by governments, the UN and the European Commission."
"What a fantastic book. The maps are beautiful and the information at the front is fascinating. We leave our copy open on our coffee table and just browse through it for the sheer pleasure of it. No coffee allowed near it of course - it's much to valuable to risk!"
"The first thing about this book is its sheer size and weight its massive and weighs a ton . But the content is outstanding an absolute delight i know the price is huge but once you have the book in front of you you soon realise why the work that has gone into this book is second to none . There realy is nothing better on the market so do yourself a favour and treat yourself."
"Climate change and unregulated irrigation projects are becoming major drivers for redrawing maps, say the cartographers of a renowned atlas."
"A fabulous-looking book, both inside and out. It's not cheap, but an incredible amount of work must have gone into this, and it really shows with the quality of the articles and the maps themselves. This really is the ultimate coffee-table book."
Scottish Daily Mail - The Scots who Changed the World (15 Sep 07)
"The new edition, like its forebears, is an amazing publication that will be purchased around the globe by governments....It is the definitive authority on the political and physical world for the Ministry of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Nato and the United Nations."
"It used to be that updated editions of world atlases mainly tracked the shifting of borders and changes in the names of cities and countries determined by politics, diplomacy or war. The surface of the planet itself was a relatively constant template in the background. You could render it in more detail with, say, better satellite data, but the basics didn’t change much. Now, though, the accelerating and intensifying impact of human activities is visibly altering the planet, requiring ever more frequent redrawing not only of political boundaries, but of the shape of Earth’s features themselves."
Scottish Daily Mail - Changing world is mapped out … (3 Sep 07)
"The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World has, since 1895, been the premier reference work of its kind."
"Cartographers of the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World have had to re-draw coastlines and reclassify land types because of the effects of global warming."
"More changes than ever before are being recorded by cartographers as they attempt to keep track of the impact people have on the environment. In the four years since the last edition of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World map-makers have had to redraw coastlines, lakes and the routes of rivers."