A SPIT IS A PIECE OF LAND: Landforms in the U.S.A.

by Doris K. Coburn ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1978

That arch title is a tip-off to some misplaced homeliness (""Your nose is like a peninsula,"" etc.) but overall this is a utilitarian introduction to diverse landforms-via definition, description, and identification--whose routine strengths and weaknesses tend to balance out. The absence of diagrammatic drawings--and, in some cases, of illustrative photos--puts an undue burden on the words; certain sections are overstuffed with new terms (in one paragraph: gully, ""ravine or gulch,"" canyon, chasm, gorge); and the enumeration of alternative characteristics (volcanoes ""have one crater or many,"" ""rise out of the ocean. . . or rise from the land,"" etc.) can be more confusing than helpful. But, on the plus side, a great many landforms are taken up, useful distinctions are made (as between marsh and swamp), and specific US examples are cited. This is not an inspired or a particularly accomplished presentation, but it'll do.

Pub Date: March 1, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Messner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION