Using wide-ranging examples, the book paints a broad picture of the current state of Geography, its subject matter, concepts and methods, how it developed, and its strengths and weaknesses. The book's conclusion is no less than a manifesto for Geography's future.
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Using wide-ranging examples, the book paints a broad picture of the current state of Geography, its subject matter, concepts and methods, how it developed, and its strengths and weaknesses. The book's conclusion is no less than a manifesto for Geography's future.
Read Less
Add this copy of Geography: a Very Short Introduction to cart. $0.99, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2008 by Oxford University Press.
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Add this copy of Geography: A Very Short Introduction to cart. $8.16, good condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2008 by Oxford University Press.
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Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 208 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Maps, Diagrams, Charts. Very Short Introductions. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 208 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white, Maps, Diagrams, Charts. Very Short Introductions. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Add this copy of Geography: a Very Short Introduction to cart. $9.63, fair condition, Sold by MERS Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from SAINT LOUIS, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Oxford University Press.
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Oxford University Press describes its "Very Short Introduction Series" as intended "for anyone wanting a stimulating and accessible way into a new subject." "What better way to get older", I thought, "than by learning something new". I wasn't prepared to try, say, particle physics; but I wanted to read on a subject relatively new for me and manageable. I found this Very Short Introduction to Geography (2008) by John A Matthews and David T. Herbert. Matthews is Professor of Physical Geography and the University of Wales, Swansea, while Herbert is Emeritus Professor of Geography and Honorary Fellow at the same institution. The authors earlier collaborated on a book, "Unifying Geography: Common Heritage, Shared Future" (2004); and the title suggests a good deal of the theme of their very short introduction.
Geography is a broad, diverse discipline, and most lay readers will have only a general idea of its scope. The authors quote a number of definitions and offer the readers the following simple explanation. "The subject matter of geography is the Earth's surface, including the envelope of atmosphere immediately above it, the structures that lie immediately below it, and the social and cultural environments contributed by the people who occupy it." The authors identify and explain the three "core concepts" of geography: space, place, and environment.
The most interesting part of the book is the authors' frequent discussion about whether geography is one study or several. The study is at the cusp of physical science and human culture. It divides broadly into the fields of physical geography and cultural geography. There is room for doubt about the extent of the ties that hold the fields together. In addition each of the two broad fields seem to fold in with other sciences or studies. The authors discuss at length the difficulty of integrating the study of geography, but they are convinced the effort is important and worthwhile. In discussing the future of the discipline, they urge an effort to integrate its various components at their center.
The book develops the science of physical geography, its subdivisions, and the relationship of the field to other sciences. They stress the quantitative, empirical character that the discipline shares with other sciences.
Cultural geography is highly different from the physical science. It has moved over the years from an attempt to be quantitative and empirical to a search for meaning. In so doing, it has followed trends in the humanities and philosophy. The authors discuss subjects including deconstruction and feminism to show how the different ways people have developed to look at and understand the physical space they inhabit has changed the ways many cultural geographers view their subject. I was interested in learning how philosophy, which I have studied, has become important in the way in which at least some geographers view their discipline.
The book discusses the tools and methodologies geographers bring to their tasks. Here again, the subject is frustratingly broad with the authors mentioning a range of studies from advanced mathematics and statistical theory on the one hand to T.S. Elliot's poem "Little Gidding" to Jacques Derrida on the other hand. The difficulty is to find the precise "space" (pun intended) for the discipline. The authors discuss the many ways in which geographers team to work with others, both in the sciences and the humanities.
In reading the book, I thought of two uses of geography from my own recent reading. First, I read a novel, "Thyrza" by a writer I admire, George Gissing, which is set in the Lambeth area of London and in the outlying areas of London in the 1880s. A new edition of the book includes an article by a cultural geographer describing in detail the physical environment of the London areas that Gissing describes in his novel. It was useful in providing a setting for the story. I also read a new collection of essays about the 1862 battle of Shiloh in the Civil War, "Rethinking Shiloh: Myth and Memory". A perceptive essay, using the work of a professional geographer, describes the complex terrain of the battlefield as it stood in 1862 and concludes that the terrain probably was the decisive factor in the Union victory on that field. It was valuable to tie in this very short introduction to geography with subjects I know.
The authors maintain that the study of geography may function as a bridge between the sciences and the humanities. If so, it would be a valuable thing to do. I enjoyed learning something new and outside my usual reading in this book, and I also enjoyed getting a very short introduction to the study of geography.
