Regional Geography of the United States and Canada, Fifth Edition by Daniel R. Montello, Michael T. Applegarth, and Tom L. McKnight (review)

Reviewed by: Regional Geography of the United States and Canada, Fifth Edition by Daniel R. Montello, Michael T. Applegarth, and Tom L. McKnight Jon C. Malinowski Regional Geography of the United States and Canada, Fifth Edition. By Daniel R. Montello, Michael T. Applegarth, and Tom L. McKnight. Long Grove: Waveland Press, Inc., 2021. xiii and 602 pp., index. $91.95 paperback ( 978-1-4786-3961-9). eBook available on Google Play, Kindle, and VitalSource. Regional geography is a pillar of the discipline and a staple of undergraduate curricula around the world. In an era of polarization, geographic illiteracy, and the changing economics of the textbook market, we should celebrate a new edition of a regional geography textbook. The first four editions of this text were authored solely by Tom L. McKnight, with the last edition published nearly twenty years ago. With McKnight's passing, this edition adds Dan Montello and Michael Applegarth to update this important option for instructors. In short, despite some drawbacks, it is a worthy update that allows room for teaching discretion. Regional Geography is arranged conventionally after a dry opener. Chapter 1 attempts to provide a basic overview of geography, explaining time zones, the latitude–longitude graticule, and seasons. I doubt that anything in the first half of the introduction will engage a student new to the discipline. The authors then present three excellent, realm-level chapters covering the physical and human geography of the United States and Canada. This section is reworked from past editions and is broader in coverage of human topics. Given McKnight's geology and physical geography background, there is no skimping on the natural environment. For example, three pages are dedicated to continental soil regions. The human geography section, Chapter 3, emphasizes population patterns and migration, with some space dedicated to cultural patterns. It is a good overview of US and Canadian populations. However, I wish they had revisited some key points introduced here in later chapters when addressing specific regions. Following the overview chapters, the concept of the region is explored in its own concise chapter. This is a useful section because the authors introduce vernacular regions and the problematic nature of regional boundaries without getting bogged down in a century of debates within the discipline. The rest of the book comprises fifteen regional chapters of thirty to forty pages each. Kudos for including two chapters on the northern regions in the chapters. Most, but not all, of the chapters start with the physical setting before transitioning to human patterns. Agricultural and industrial patterns are emphasized. Human patterns are generally about half of each chapter, but in my opinion, most regional chapters have missed the opportunity to discuss changing cultural patterns that might appeal to undergraduates. Potash production in Saskatchewan gets about the same space for its "A Closer Look" box as the US–Mexico border. Language and religious patterns seem under-discussed. For example, the discussion of New York City focuses on the urban morphology of the five boroughs and has little focus on ethnic neighborhoods, economic disparities, or religious patterns. [End Page 434] The data in the book are mostly up to date, but given the 2021 copyright date, the book does not include detailed U.S. 2020 Census data. 2018 or 2019 estimates are the norm for the US data. To break up the narrative, over three dozen "A Closer Look" boxes throughout the book offer more context and give instructors an offramp for class discussions and further reading. Some are written by guest experts, such as John Fraser Hart, Audrey Kobayashi, and George Carney. In my own experience as a textbook author, instructors either love or hate text boxes. The ones here cover various excellent topics and float between human and physical issues, but many have no graphics, making them underwhelming and less inviting to the reader. Although heavily illustrated with maps, charts, and photos, the physical copy of the book reviewed is entirely in black and white. This is a shame. Even the eBook version seems to be monochromatic. Complex physical geography maps using only shades of gray and crosshatching are tough on the eyes and often too small to comprehend easily. I doubt students...

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