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The Boston vignette (‘Boston: a geographical portrait’ by Michael P. Conzen and George K. Lewis) is balanced and well documented and stands as one of the better crafted sections of the entire project. The authors describe the city’s physical environment, its economic development and its social and political fragmentation. The image of the city is emphasized more than in other vignettes, reflecting on the work of Kevin Lynch. Only one-fifth of the narrative involves historical interpretation.

George W. Carey’s vignette on the New York City metropolitan area (‘A vignette of the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Region’) is a disappointing contribution. Emphasis is placed on the evolving spatial organization of the region viewed largely in economic terms. Historical interpretation dominates approximately one-third of the narrative and a concern with selected New York City neighbourhoods leads to a brief discussion of historic preservation. Unfortunately, the vignette is weakened by numerous general propositions unsupported by careful documentation.

The Philadelphia vignette (‘Metropolitan Philadelphia: study of conflicts and social cleavages’ by Peter 0. Muller, Kenneth C. Meyer and Roman A. Cybriwsky) is essentially a social geography with focus on the spatial sorting of people along lines of race, ethnicity, class and life-style. Suburban and inner city areas are compared, the former being em- phasized. Historic preservation in the inner city is briefly treated, but the narrative has little historical orientation.

The contribution on the Connecticut metropolitan conurbation (‘From farm to factory to urban pastoralism: urban change in central Connecticut’ by David R. Meyer) is a strong contribution, although somewhat capsulized. Excellent historical interpretation (approximately one-fourth of the narrative) is most effectively blended with discussion of contemporary urban problems in Hartford and adjacent urban centres. The author discusses open space preservation in a short section.

Book Two. Nineteenth Century Ports (Pp. 314. $1790)

The Baltimore vignette (‘Baltimore’ by Sherry Olson) is exceptionally well executed. The author presents a well-rounded view of Baltimore to demonstrate a real empathy for the city. A process-oriented social geography, the vignette focuses on the city’s neighbour- hoods to include short sections on historic preservation. The city is analyzed by con- centric zones and by sectors. Ecological problems and the impact of institutional land uses on the city receive more emphasis than in other vignettes. Unfortunately, the historical interpretation is minimal.

Peirce F. Lewis’ contribution on New Orleans (‘New Orleans : the making of an urban landscape’) will be of special value to historical geographers. Over one-third of the vignette deals directly with the geographic past. The remainder of the work, primarily a cultural geography, elevates the humanistic approach to urban analysis to new heights. The author emphasizes the factors (physical, economic, social and political) which have made New Orleans a special place. The vignette is balanced, well documented and exceptionally well written. Attention is given to architecture and to urban morphology. Historic preservation, especially in the Vieux CarrC, receives careful attention.

The vignette by Jean Vance (‘Cities by San Francisco Bay’) deals with the San Fran- cisco, San Jose and Oakland conurbation in California. San Francisco receives the major emphasis through sections on physical geography (especially the earthquake hazard), economic geography (especially port development), transportation geography (especially the impact of mass transit) and social geography (especially the growth of the area’s black population). Attempts at controlled growth are described. Approximately one- fifth of the narrative concerns the region’s historical development.

Book Three. Nineteenth Century Inland Centers and Ports (Pp. 507. $23.50)

The two vignettes on Pittsburgh and St Louis (‘Metropolitan Pittsburgh: old trends and new directions’ by Philip H. Vernon and Oswald Schmidt and ‘The St Louis daily urban system’ by Dennis K. Ehrhardt) are among the shorter and, consequently, least successful

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vignettes. Historical interpretation is meagre and often misleading in the former. Histori- cal geography receives a separate section in the latter (which accounts for approximately one-fifth of the total narrative) but is, in fact, comprised largely of maps depicting the expansion of the region’s urbanized area relative to selected transportation lines. Both vignettes contain brief mention of historic preservation. The chapter on St Louis suffers from an eclectic sampling of various topics and seems highly journalistic, lacking inte- grating themes; it dissolves into boosterism and gives an incomplete picture of the city and its problems. The Pittsburgh chapter presents a well-integrated core of material, but begs elaboration.

The section on Cleveland and Akron (‘The Northeastern Ohio urban complex’ by Harold M. Mayer and Thomas Corsi) comprises separate sections on population and economic base, physical setting, racial and ethnic patterns, employment dynamics and transportation. Unfortunately, the concluding section on selected regional problems repeats many viewpoints previously developed. Opinions are freely expressed. Open space preservation receives brief treatment; only one-tenth of the narrative could be considered historical interpretation.

The Chicago vignette (‘Chicago: transformation of an urban system’ by Brian J. L. Berry, Irving Cutler, Edwin H. Draine, Ying-cheng Kiang, Thomas R. Tocalis and Pierre de Vise) is a strong contribution for the sizeable theoretical and empirical literature on Chicago which it integrates. Separate sections treat the suburban frontier, polarization of the central city and the “metabolism” of the metropolis (the processes of change). Historical interpretation is used primarily as introductory material; historic preservation on Chicago’s near North Side is briefly discussed.

Robert Sinclair’s and Bryan Thompson’s offering on Detroit (‘Metropolitan Detroit: an anatomy of social change’) is, perhaps, the best of the vignettes emphasizing social geography. Social change is tied most effectively to landscape description. Processes of social change are treated relative to general sectors or zones identified within the metro- polis. Three excellent case studies, focused on social change, landownership and political decision making in three diverse localities within the metropolitan region highlight the vignette. Other vignettes would have been vastly strengthened had similar case studies been included. Unfortunately, Sinclair and Thompson provide little historical interpreta- tion although a short section does treat historic preservation.

The section of the Twin Cities of Minnesota (‘The Twin Cities of St Paul and Minne- apolis’ by Ronald Abler, John S. Adams and John R. Borchert) is also a strong vignette offering a balanced treatment of physical, economic, social and political geographic patterns. Introduced by an excellent discussion of place images, a true feeling and under- standing for the region is demonstrated throughout. St Paul and Minneapolis are com- pared and the metropolis itself is compared with other metropolitan regions. This is one of the few vignettes to pursue deliberately comparative analysis. Historic preservation receives brief mention. Some attempt is made to focus on significant decision makers important to the region’s spatial evolution.

Why the vignette on Seattle (‘Seattle’ by A. Phillip Andrus, William B. Beyers, Ronald R. Boyce, Jacob J. Eichenbaum, Michael Mandeville, Richard L. Morrill, David Stallings and David M. Sucher) was included in a volume otherwise filled by monographs on the “inland” cities of the Middle West is difficult to ascertain. Emphasis is given to the social geography of the city with one section entitled ‘Controversy and conflict at the neighbor- hood scale’. Historic preservation activities are discussed; a historical perspective is woven throughout, but less than one-fifth the total pages are oriented toward the geo- graphic past.

Book Four. Twentieth Century Cities (Pp. 350. $16.50)

The Dallas-Fort Worth vignette (‘The Dallas-Fort Worth region’ by Dennis Conway, Kingsley E. Haynes, George Kell, Rodger P. Kester, Ian R. Manners, Dudley L. Posten

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and Howard Savage) is one of the least successful. It is short and highly eclectic, focused primarily on the historical development of transportation and the socio-economic evolu- tion of the city through the Second World War (approximately one-fifth of the total narrative). The best contribution to the vignette deals with contemporary air pollution problems. In contrast, the Miami contribution (‘Sunshine and shadows in metropolitan Miami’ by David B. Longbrake and Woodrow W. Nichols, Jr) is well balanced and nicely integrated. The various cultural groups to occupy the city (Cubans, blacks, retirees, tourists) are emphasized. Problem areas in the city related to these groups receive special attention. Historical narrative comprises but one-fifth the total.

The Houston and Atlanta sections (‘Houston’ by Martha E. Palmer and Marjorie N. Rush and ‘Metropolis in Georgia: Atlanta’s rise as a major transaction center’ by Truman A. Hartshorn, Sanford Bederman, Sid Davis, G. E. Alan Dever and Richard Pillsbury) are short but, nonetheless, capably executed. Both offer interpretations not found in other vignettes. For example, the former includes discussions on territorial jurisdiction and subsidence and flooding, and the latter contains a discussion on activity patterns. The importance of Houston’s port and Atlanta’s railroads and airport to urban growth is appropriately emphasized. The Atlanta vignette also offers comparisons with other metropolitan centres and considers geographical decision making. Historical in- terpretations are woven throughout both vignettes. Historic preservation in Atlanta receives brief mention.

Los Angeles receives competent treatment (‘The Los Angeles metropolitan experience’ by Howard J. Nelson and William A. V. Clark). Sections are entitled: ‘The physical setting and natural hazards’, ‘City versus suburbs’, ‘The changing impact of minorities’, ‘The spatial structure of economic activities’, and ‘Movement in the metropolis’. Effort is made to compare Los Angeles with other cities. Historical interpretation is minimal. In contrast, the Washington vignette (‘The setting and growth of Washington’ by Jean- Claude Marceau Thomas) is heavily historical (nearly one-half of the narrative) and historic preservation is treated. Although the city’s social geography is adequately cov- ered, its physical and economic aspects are neglected, making this an unbalanced vignette.

Volume Two. Urban Policymaking and Metropolitan Dynamics (Cambridge, Mass. : Ballinger Publishing Co., 1976. $2500)

The second volume in the Comparative Metropolitan Analysis Project is an anthology of articles focused on the policy implications of urban geographical research. Articles deal with national housing and urban renewal goals, physical environmental goals for metro- politan America, public and parochial school attendance in American cities, crime and the impact of anti-crime legislation, health care delivery systems, and housing and trans- portation problems among the elderly. Three articles offer exceptional comparative analy- ses, the avowed purpose for which the entire project was initiated. They are: ‘Metropo- litan governance’ by Rex D. Honey, ‘Progress toward achieving efficient and responsive spatial-political systems in urban America’ by David R. Reynolds and ‘Malapportionment and gerrymandering in the ghetto’ by John O’Loughlin.

Three articles should be of special interest to historical geographers, especially those researchers interested in historic preservation. Charles S. Sargent, Jr (‘Land speculation and urban morphology’) treats the decision-making process whereby land is converted to urban uses. A case study of urban sprawl in the Santa Clara Valley in California and a discussion of agricultural land preservation are highlights. Michael J. Dear (‘Abandoned housing’) presents a case study of the Tioga neighbourhood in Philadelphia. A model of the process of abandonment is presented along with a review of the problem of abandon- ment in selected cities. Rutherford H. Platt (‘The federal open space programs : impacts and imperatives’) includes a historical survey of federal land policies. Case studies tie the article to the vignettes of Chicago, Boston and Hartford in volume 1.

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Volume Three. RONALD ABLER (Atlas Editor) and KI-SUK LEE (Chief Cartographer), A Comparative Atlas of America’s Great Cities: Twenty Metropolitan Regions (Min- neapolis : Association of American Geographers and the University of Minnesota Press, 1976. Pp. xxii + 503. $95.00)

The third volume of the Comparative Metropolitan Analysis Project is an atlas contain- ing both maps and text comparing the twenty metropolitan regions described in volume 1. Initial chapters introduce the reader to the atlas, briefly describe the evolution of metropolitan America since 1790, discuss metropolitan competition and interdependence, outline current metropolitan problems and describe sources of information about Ameri- can cities. Maps are organized in two ways. Part 2 treats current physical, housing, popu- lation and socio-economic patterns in each of the selected cities. Many of the same maps are organized topically in Part 3 to facilitate metropolitan comparisons. All maps are drawn to one of three scales and symbolization is consistent throughout. Cumulative percentage graphs accompany most maps to illustrate pattern distributions across census tracts and/or minor civil divisions. The data were derived primarily from the 1970 U.S. Census of Population. Maps are printed in orange and black, variable intensities being indicated by isolines and varying colour tones. Many of the maps are of questionable value for comparative purposes as specific neighbourhoods and other locations within metropolitan regions are often difficult to ascertain. Nonetheless, an attractive volume depicting basic geographic distributions from place to place has been produced.

University of Illinois JOHN A. JAKLE

Historical Geography Newsletter vol. 6 no. 1 (Northridge, California: California State University, Northridge, 1976. Pp. 80. $5.00)

The Spring 1976 issue of the Historical Geography Newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Carl Sauer and Andrew Clark. This, of course, is no place for full-length biographies; instead, we are given short, personal, almost domestic, appreciations interspersed with equally personal extracts from the unpublished writings of the two scholars. To Henry Bruman’s address on Sauer, delivered at a Commemorative Invocation at Berkeley in 1975, John Leighley adds a brief assessment, stressing that “by steady attention to . . . the observable face of the earth, Sauer avoided the faddism that has afflicted academic geography”. Joseph Spencer ponders the question of whether or not there is, or ever was, a “Berkeley School” of geography, dropping on the way a wealth of names and anecdotes. The question itself fades into insignificance when set beside Sauer’s scholarly contribution (hinted at here by the first printing of his ‘European backgrounds’, rescued from a waste- paper basket in the early 1950s) and beside what must have been a forceful personality in the lecture room or seminar class (which comes across to us in Robert Newcomb’s ‘Carl 0. Sauer, teacher’, an edited transcript of notes taken at a seminar in 1961). For Andrew Clark, Douglas McManis provides a view of his many achievements, noting, among other things, how “he chose to list among special honors . . . his co-editorship of the Journal of Historical Geography”, * he also notes how the “Clark School” deviated from patterns of research and writing moulded at Berkeley. Yet, as if intentionally to astound us (and Clark liked to astonish), the unpublished paper by Clark which has been chosen for this collection is ‘The look of Canada’, a vignette almost in the style of Sauer himself. Throughout the collection there are numerous photographs of both scholars, adding up to a depiction of the seven ages of academic man: the schoolboy, the research student at his desk, the labourer in the field, the popular teacher, the conference delegate, the respected professor, the recipient of honorary degrees. The collection does not in- clude a bibliography of either man, perhaps because, as Newcomb reminds us, such docu- ments are poor guides to academic personality. It is just that personality which the Newsletter imparts so successfully. Edited to the high standards which we have come to expect from Ralph Vicero and his team, it has all the makings of a collector’s piece.