----------------------------Original message---------------------------- The New York Times Book Review for Sunday, November 2, had a very positive review for a new book mapfolk may or may not know of. Martin W. Lewis and Karen E. Wigen The Myth of Continents, a critique of metageography Berkely, University of California Press, 1997. isbn 0520207424; 0520207432/pbk I have not read the book, although I did purchase it Saturday at the local Barnes and Noble, filed under World History if you go looking... Here is a quote from the back cover with the publisher's perspective on the contents: In this incisive critique, geographer Martin W. Lewis and historian Karen E. Wigen reexamine the basic geographical divisions we take for granted. Arguing that notions of East versus West, First World versus Third World, and even the sevenfold continental system are simplistic and misconceived, Lewis and Wigen trace the history of such misconceptions on the global scale and in relation to the specific continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. From its fresh insights into the assumptions behind or worldview to its bold proposal for a new, more accurate macroregions, this up to the minute study is bound to facscinate anyone interested in the history of the globe." The NYT book review focused singularly on how maps were distorted to reflect these various worldviews. I am not sure the book's only focus is the map record, but that is what prompted me to go after the text. I found the book review, and at least the first half of the preface to the book, thoughtful, intelligent, useful, and worthy of a serious reading. So I will plug away, in between various other tasks. I was amazed and pleased to see this book even mentioned by the NYTimes, and for a positive review for what seems to me to be an obscure book about maps and geography...Alice