A Dictionary Of Geography

A Dictionary of Geography (1963) by W. G. Moore – Penguin Books

ISBN: None
Condition: Good
Published: 1963
Offered by: Crappy Old Books

There was a time when geography was considered an essential component of a respectable education, the British Empire still occupied a substantial portion of the classroom wall map, and schoolchildren were expected to know the principal rivers of South America without consulting a smartphone.

Welcome to A Dictionary of Geography, W. G. Moore’s splendidly comprehensive reference work, published by Penguin in 1963, when the world was still divided into clearly defined countries, disputed territories and enormous expanses of land that seemed to exist principally to confuse examination candidates.

Geography, of course, is a wonderfully ambitious subject. It attempts to explain everything from the formation of mountains and the movement of rivers to the distribution of populations, the development of industries and the peculiar human determination to establish enormous cities in places where the weather is thoroughly disagreeable.

Moore’s dictionary provides a convenient guide to the terminology of this expansive discipline, bringing geographical concepts together in a format designed for students, teachers and anyone who has ever wondered precisely what distinguishes an estuary from a delta, or why certain geological formations seem determined to acquire names that nobody can pronounce.

Here are the processes that shape our planet, the physical features that define its landscapes and the language through which geographers attempt to impose some intellectual order upon several billion years of geological inconvenience.

Published in 1963, this Penguin edition possesses an additional historical fascination. The world was undergoing extraordinary political and geographical change. Former colonies were becoming independent nations, international boundaries were being reconsidered, and the Cold War ensured that the political map remained a subject of considerable diplomatic anxiety.

Meanwhile, mountains continued rising, rivers continued eroding their valleys, and continental drift was gradually becoming an increasingly serious scientific proposition, despite the obvious inconvenience of discovering that the ground beneath one’s feet was not quite as stationary as previously assumed.

There is something rather appealing about a vintage geographical reference book. Its terminology, explanations and scientific perspectives preserve a particular moment in the development of geographical knowledge, offering modern readers an opportunity to observe how the discipline itself has evolved.

Condition: Good. A respectable vintage Penguin paperback showing the ordinary signs of age, handling and previous ownership. Having survived more than sixty years of geographical and political upheaval, it remains an appealing example of mid-century educational publishing.

Naturally, there is no ISBN. In 1963, books were expected to identify themselves through authors, titles and publishers, while geographical exploration generally involved maps rather than satellite navigation.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where obscure geographical terminology is welcomed, obsolete educational reference works are appreciated, and customers are not required to identify the capital of Upper Volta before completing their purchase.

An entertaining and informative addition to any collection of vintage Penguin books, geography, educational history or historical reference literature.

A reminder that the world never stops changing, although fortunately some of its mountains have the decency to move rather slowly.

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