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Following this concern recently raised:
 
" Perhaps this has happened to many of you when you are purchasing atlases?
> You look at the title and think, sure that would be good for the collection.
> Recently, I ordered "Atlas of Eastern Europe in the 20th century" and when
> it arrived I was very disappointed. It is not what I would call an atlas but
> rather a text with some maps..." Cheryl Woods
 
Dear Cheryl,
 
Traditionally, an atlas is defined as a collection of maps presented in book
form, as illustrated by the following authoritative  definition:
" A collection of maps designed to be kept (bound or loose) in a volume"
(International Cartographic Association. Multilingual dictionary of
technical terms in cartography, 1973, p. 303, definition 824.1)
"Karten in Buchform oder..." in German
"Recueil ordonne de cartes..." in French, from the same dictionary.
 
According to this tradition, the status of an atlas is questioned when forms
of expression other than cartographic are used to portray the world. Should
atlases be restricted to maps only or dominantly or not, and why? This
traditional definition has to be revisited in the light of the influence of
technological means on intellectual creation.
 
I would like first to invoke the Past to update  the Present.
 
The very first atlas, Theatrum orbis terrarum, Abraham Ortelius, 1570,
portrays the world using systematically both cartographic and textual forms
of  expression  to convey information. Each region is depicted using one
page of text and one plate (double page) of map, the intellectual design
being one semantic  unit comprising textual and graphic description.
Ortelius was "multimedia-minded", using the communication means of his time,
engraving and typography. Why did Ortelius bring text and image in so close
association, in offering the world to contemplation with his work, if not to
give two complementary approaches to the rendering of reality, each having
its own merits? This very first atlas demonstrates that an atlas is not
solely or primarily based on maps, and that the Theatrum prefigurates the
present (printed) "multimedia" atlases, four centuries ago!
 
Mercator's 1595 Atlas is also based on this  textual-iconic  semantic unit.
Le Theatre francoys by Maurice Bouguereau (1595) offers maps and even more
text than Ortelius and Mercator.
 
It is difficult to argue that, from their inception, atlases were intended
to be a collection of maps simply bound into a volume. So traditional the
definition may be, it does not date back to the origns!
 
Have a look at the Bartholomew's Physical Atlas series, published at the
turn of this century, to realise that textual information was inseparable
from the maps.
 
What about today's atlases, "plagued" with non cartographic contents? To me,
it is the continuation of  Ortelius's foresightness, and the necessary
updating of the traditional definition of an atlas to meet new
epistemological and technological paradigms. To understand the complexity of
phenomena, the systemic approach was devised to help (conceptually) bring
into light  what was needed to explain phenomena; in other words, to
correlate related variables in order to generate meaning. How could you
achieve that with the analytical approach that prevailed until the late '70
in the design of atlases? Some variables are best portrayed in maps, others
in texts, photos, diagrams, time lines, ancient iconography, etc. The
multidimensional approach required to properly understand complex phenomena
called for the "multimediatisation" of geographic  information, with
innovative book and layout design, and lavish color reproduction. Multimedia
atlases were (re)born, with today's taste and intellectual elegance...
Facts on File atlases are the most "bookish" and the least stimulating among
actual production. But what about the following theatrical
("theatrumesque?") and cartographical performances (...they are more than
books): the precursor The Earth and Man, 1972  (thematic section), The
Economist Atlas of the New Europe, 1992, Atlas of World History, 1987
(originally designed and produced by Hachette France who developed the
"Hachette atlas" style used in many titles), Europe, le grand atlas, 1992,
to name a few. My favorite is Genealogie de l'Europe, 1994 (Hachette)
...simply outside any classification!
 
Simply to say that atlases can no longer be appraised basically on their
cartographic content but rather on their intent, as a integrated multimedia
expression of  Our Planet (printed or electronic).
 
Thanks to Ortelius!
 
Hope you are less disappointed, Cheryl!
 
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Yves Tessier, Chef
Cartotheque, Bibliotheque de l'Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada G1K 7P4
tel:  418.656.2131 poste 7933       fax:  418.656. 7793
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