American Geography and Geographers

This encyclopaedic work is the product of a lifetime's archival research and reflection on the emergence in the US of geography as a modern university discipline. This book takes its place immediately as the most comprehensive analysis of a national tradition of geographical enquiry in the English language and an indispensable work of historical reference. * Robert J. Mayhew, Times Higher Education Supplement, 'What Are You Reading?' *
...unparalleled in the scope and depth of its research and in its meticulous exposition of the evolution of geography in the United States through the 1970s. Basing the volume on archival materials, Geoffrey Martin masterfully explains not only what American geographers did, but also why they chose the paths they took. The letters upon which the volume relies enable Martin to enter the minds of our predecessors in ways that histories based on secondary sources cannot. By tracing interpersonal connections among domestic geographers, and with overseas colleagues (especially in Germany and France), Martin sheds new light on the intellectual and structural foundations of American geography. American Geography and Geographers is a landmark volume that will be read by all who aspire to understand American geography's present and its future. * Ronald F. Abler, Immediate Past President, International Geographical Union *
...a monumental and magisterial work, exhaustively researched and documented, judiciously presented and extremely important as evidence of the foundation from which the discipline arose and evolved. Like Hartshorne's Nature of Geography many decades ago, this will become a milestone in the record of the field, and it will engender productive debate for decades to come. * Harm De Blij, John A. Hannah Professor Geography, Michigan State University *
Geoffrey Martin has been a contributor to the history of American geography for more than half a century. Beginning with a trilogy of works on William Morris Davis' most important students, Martin's work has consistently informed our understanding of that history. Martin's publications are grounded in his unrivalled knowledge of the germane manuscript sources both in the U.S. and abroad. In this volume he traces the rise of American professional geography in the context both of its American roots and of contemporary developments in Britain and Europe. This landmark study will be a resource for teachers and students of the discipline for years to come, and an important first reference for scholars seeking to expand the breadth and depth of the field. * William A. Koelsch, Emeritus Professor of History and Geography, Graduate School of Geography, Clark University *
I found this book fascinating for a number of reasons. First, it portrays a geography, or a range of geographies, up to the 1960s when I undertook my undergraduate geography studies. Whilst I was then introduced to a range of geographers, many writings were indeed from United States geographers. The reading of this book reacquainted me with many of these geographers and added to my understanding of the nature and contexts of their approaches to geography. This book has also put in context many changes that have occurred to geography after the 1960s and which are, arguably, a reaction to the often very different geographies from the first half of the twentieth century. * Geoffrey Paterson South Caulfield, Victoria *