The Routledge Atlas of Jewish History

User Review: - Superb, Need This for All Religions and for the IDEAS
20081214 DEPARTED AMAZON WITH OUTRAGE OVER THE MANIPULATION OF VOTES.

This is one of three atlases I am reviewing today, but instead of reviewing the twelve or so in my library, a couple of which I did long ago, I am creating a list of atlases as substantive visualization of inquality and relative status.

The other two I am reviwwing:
The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World: Completely Revised and Updated
The Water Atlas: A Unique Visual Analysis of the World's Most Critical Resource

General comment: I remove one star from all atlases I am reviewing for the same generic reasons:

1) Each volume lacks an overview, in the case of women, "the difference women make." You will not find in this volume the fact that the single best investment for any charitable or foreign assistance dollar is in the education of a woman--from that follows all else that is good in society.

2) Each volume lacks a website where one can rapidly "see" changes for any given chart, or compare and contrast different charts. These atlases, regardless of publisher, are "state of the art" visualization for the INDUSTRIAL era, not the information era.

3) The publishers are not keeping the publications up to date. This one, for example, by Penguin, is copyrighted 2003. All of these need ANNUAL updates as well as a live interactive website where women can interact, add data, and generally create new value from an end-user perspective.

Wish list: that the publishers come together and agree to work together to create a series of atlases on the ten threats and twelve core policy areas, that I list below for convenience.

Ten threats from A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility--Report of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change [LtGen Dr. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret) as USA representative):

- Poverty
- Infectious Disease
- Environmental Degradation
- Inter-State Conflict
- Civil War
- Genocide
- Other Atrocities
- Profileration
- Terrorism
- Transnational Crime

Twelve policies (of my own making, after studying the Mandates for Leadership from the last 4-5 presidential campaigns in USA):

+ Agriculture
+ Diplomacy
+ Economy
+ Education
+ Energy
+ Family
+ Health
+ Immigation/Emigration
+ Justice
+ Security
+ Society
+ Water

Concluding comment: Peter Drucker said, writing in Forbes ASAP on 28 August 1998, that we have spent 50 years on the T in IT, and now need to spend 50 years on the I in IT. Visualization such as this book provided, but interactive and connected to both "true costs" and to real-world budgets at all levels of governance across all organizations (government, corporate, non-profit).

Other notable atlases of great import:
The Penguin Atlas of War and Peace: Completely Revised and UpdatedOxford Atlas of the World, 14th Edition
Zones of Conflict: An Atlas of Future Wars
The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution
An Atlas of Poverty in America: One Nation, Pulling Apart, 1960-2003
Color Atlas of Diseases and Disorders of Cattle
The Atlas of Endangered Peoples (Environmental Atlas)

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User Review: - The depiction of the Jewish psyche
A bright panoramic history of Israel, a supercinerama of the culture, and events that molded the Jewish psyche and the character of Israel. It depicts the various phases of foreign occupations and their influence and/or lack of influence on the Jewish people. An atlas of the multiple cultural and historical faces of Israel, its people and historical development. Reliable and enchanting. I do recommend this work.

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User Review: - A Comprehensive visual History of the Jewish People
This atlas is on par with the best written histories. Used in conjunction with a written account it elucidates the complex history of the Jewish people from Biblical through modern times. It presents the the trade routes, settlements and life under the rule of various forces, illustrating the Jewish interface with other cultures.

A must for every Jewish school and library.

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User Review: - A useful reference
This is a surprisingly good reference on the elements of Jewish history, given that it is pretty much all maps.

We see the extent of the Kingdom of David and Solomon. The Hasmonean Kingdom. Jews of India and China. There is some good material about Jews under Muslim rule. We learn about the Khazars. The Karaites. Jews of Europe. Forcible conversions and expulsions. Blood Libels. The emancipation of some European Jews. The rise of Zionism. Birobidjan. World War Two. Jewish immigration to Israel. Jewish populations in the 21st century. Anti-Semitism in the 21st century. And much more.

What's missing? Well, there are a few places where I think Gilbert should have included a little more material. First, I think it would be good to see a little more on the history of early Christian oppression and hatred of Jews, from around 300 AD to around 600 AD. I also think there should have been more about the Israeli war of independence from Great Britain (especially since Gilbert himself is British), including the infamous 1939 White Paper and the ships that tried to break the British blockade of the Levant. I think the excellent map showing Jewish land ownership in the Levant in 1942 is misleading, because it fits right in with lies about the Arabs owning all the rest of the land (in fact, the majority of the land was state land). And I think there should have been more about the history of the Jews of Ethiopia.

I recommend this short but very informative book.

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User Review: - not definitive or useful
If you are curious about the migrations of Jews over three thousand years you won't be satisfied with this miserable book. It is based on conjecture about where Jews migrated from and to -- not based on any real evidence. For example, the whole Khazar question is worthlessly dealt with.

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