A testament to the power of infographics.
By Peter C. Baker
The Atlas of Water, Second Edition: Mapping the World’s Most Critical Resource. (Photo: University of California Press)
The Atlas of Water, Second Edition: Mapping the World’s Most Critical Resource
Maggie Black & Jannet King
University of California Press
Almost every page of this slim, water-centric atlas contains a well-designed map and charts meant to illuminate something about the global state of water: Where it’s used, what it’s used for, where it’s coming from, where it’s running out, and who’s polluting it. Beautiful and easy to absorb, the book is a testament to the power of infographics. That might not be the sexiest endorsement, but consider this: Thanks to the clean, elegant design, any interested layperson (even a middle-school student) could scan this book for an hour or so and come away vastly more informed. At the same time, there’s enough data included to make it a useful reference for elected officials and journalists. Page by page, map by map, water emerges as a lens for understanding the interconnectedness of our most pressing global issues.
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