National Geographic Historical Atlas of the United States

by National Geographic Society, Ronald M. Fisher

The Historical Atlas of the United States tells the story of the moments, people, and places that propelled forward the formation of what we know as modern America, providing a vital insight to understanding America today. Beginning in 1450, it will highlight-in chronological order-landmark events through our nation's history, from the Revolutionary War to the Pony Express, from the Civil War to Matthew Brady and daguerrotypes, from World War II to Superman's first comic, from the Vietnam War to the first test tube baby. Each moment in history will be covered in two pages of text (two spreads for larger stories such as WWII, etc.) and will be accompanied by a critical image, a sidebar that gives sharp focus to one aspect of the moment, and, in most cases, a some created by the great cartographers of history such as Lewis and Clark, many by the unparalleled cartographic staff of National Geographic Books. The text will tell the stories of these events and people in readable prose that makes the past accessible. The atlas will be divided into 6 1450-1750, 1750-1800, 1800-1850, 1850-1900, 1900-1950, 1950-present. Each section will begin with a comprehensive timeline, allowing a sense of the broader scope of the period's events and an introduction to the chronology of the section. The selected events will be highlighted, acting as a table of contents for the section. The Historical Atlas of the United States tells the story of the moments, people, and places that propelled forward the formation of what we know as modern America, providing a vital insight to understanding America today. Beginning in 1450, it will highlight-in chronological order-landmark events through our nation's history, from the Revolutionary War to the Pony Express, from the Civil War to Matthew Brady and daguerrotypes, from World War II to Superman's first comic, from the Vietnam War to the first test tube baby. Each moment in history will be covered in two pages of text (two spreads for larger stories such as WWII, etc.) and will be accompanied by a critical image, a sidebar that gives sharp focus to one aspect of the moment, and, in most cases, a some created by the great cartographers of history such as Lewis and Clark, many by the unparalleled cartographic staff of National Geographic Books. The text will tell the stories of these events and people in readable prose that makes the past accessible. The atlas will be divided into 6 1450-1750, 1750-1800, 1800-1850, 1850-1900, 1900-1950, 1950-present. Each section will begin with a comprehensive timeline, allowing a sense of the broader scope of the period's events and an introduction to the chronology of the section. The selected events will be highlighted, acting as a table of contents for the section.

Genres: History, Reference, Geography, Nonfiction, American History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[R.J. Guy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great way to survey US History by way of short text, ample maps, photographs, graphs, illustrations, etc. all edited and produced by a huge National Geographic Society staff. So why did it take me over 2 years to read? For one, I read it while eating breakfast along with keeping up with current National Geographic magazines.
And for another, I took my time studying all the maps, graphs, and illustrations absorbing all the detail. The great thing is, I can go back to any era or social tread in US History anytime I want. No plugging in a computer, searching endlessly to find what I want, etc. on an iPad.
It's a huge book big enough to be a coffee table by itself with the addition of legs. I had to prop it up so I could read it vertically otherwise I couldn't see the material along the top edges very well as I munched my cereal.
If you love (US) history and want to either scan quickly or soak up the atmosphere and details of this American story, I highly recommend this book. Don't be put off by it's late 1980s publishing date. Everything in it still holds true and much of current American life can be understood by studying this book's contents. For updates, go on the Internet. For depth and understanding, read/view/take-in this book .

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

My parents gave me this for my birthday soon after it was first published in the 1990s. It might be the best birthday present I've ever gotten.

25+ years later, I still pull this off the shelf all the time. Most recently, a couple of nights ago when I finished a short Netflix series called "American Primeval."

[Jason Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "discovered" this book at the annual Friends of the Library book sale in October. I have the centennial edition published to commemorate the Nation Geographic Society's anniversary. The book is enormous in your hands. You truly feel like you have history in hands and something historical. The prose is provided by a variety of authors and there are some suspect elements in that but the visual evidence is beyond compare.