Author Description

Noted for its breadth of view, John Paterson's geography of North America has long been considered one of the best texts in regional geography. It combines lively, readable language with an analytic approach and an emphasis on human problems. In addressing regional problems Paterson raises thought-provoking questions and--drawing on a wide range of literature, opinion, and his own research--he offers some insightful personal judgments. Updated and revised, this new edition retains the earlier structure but takes up the considerable changes in North America's geography--particularly the shift within economic geography from production to service and consumption and the resultant emphasis on urban development and its attendant problems, while maintaining a balanced outlook that includes descriptions of peripheries as well as core areas. Paterson also addresses changes in the nature of geography as a discipline that have occurred since the book's original edition in 1960. North America covers both sides of divergent trends in the field, mentioning the many theories developed by the objectivists as well as discussing the individual and communal perceptions of the world that the more subjective perceptual geographers explore. Paterson continues to offer a cohesive and balanced point of view.