Review of "Geography: Journeys in Distant Lands," by Harlan H. Barrows and Edith Putnam Parker

Review of

Geography: Journeys in Distant Lands, by Harlan H. Barrows and Edith Putnam Parker

Four out of five stars

 Published in 1931, this book is a look back at how Americans viewed the world in that time. When reading the book, it must also be kept in mind that the world was in the depths of the Great Depression. Suprisingly, there is no mention of this in the book. Specific areas of the world examined in detail are the area of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the area of the Nile River, the Congo, the Mediterranean area of Spain, Italy and Greece; Switzerland, down the Rhine River to the Netherlands, north from there to Norway and then the famous expeditions to the north and south poles.

 There is no coverage of Asia, Eastern Europe, the two American continents or any of the major oceanic islands. This is a major omission, meaning that the overwhelming majority of the population does not receive even a passing mention. The basic tactic is to discuss what the people do for a living, the emphasis is on the local agriculture and the climate they live in.

  While the discussion is of interest as a historical note, this book is weak in that as a text it ignores most of the world in terms of people as well as area.