Book Notes
State Maps on File. Midwest:
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota,
Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin. (New York: Facts on File Publications, 1984.
maps, index.) and Illustrated
Dictionary of Place Names: United States and
Canada. Edited by Kelsie B. Harder. (New York: Facts on File
Publications,
1985 reprint. xiv + 631p.;
illustrations, bibliography.) State Maps on File is
one of a seven-volume series of state
maps compiled by the publishers, and
"specifically geared to the needs of
teachers, students and librarians from
every state in the union." Included
in the Midwest volume are 154 maps cov-
ering eight states: Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,
Ohio, and Wisconsin. As with other
volumes in the series, the format is 81/2
by 11 inches, looseleaf, in a D-ring
binder, with black printing on white card
stock. These are basically outline maps
showing political boundaries, with
some limited, additional information in
such diverse areas as legislative dis-
tricts, demographics, transportation,
and natural resources. Further cover-
age, particularly relating to historical
events, varies according to teaching re-
quirements within each state.
Unfortunately for the potential user, the maps
are not entirely reliable. In looking
through the set for Ohio a number of er-
rors and distortions were found. Indeed,
for a teacher or researcher who is
not entirely familiar with Ohio, using
these maps without a lot of additional
information would be a very risky
enterprise. For example, the maps for Top-
ographic Areas and Average Annual
Precipitation are inaccurate enough to be
useless; the maps for Industry and Major
Rivers and Waterways are dis-
torted enough that they should not be
used without supplementary informa-
tion. The idea for this series is a good
one, especially since free right to copy
for nonprofit use is granted, but until
their accuracy becomes impeccable
they cannot enjoy the wide, reliable use
intended by the publishers.
Another recent work from the same
publishers that probably will be of
greater value to the teacher,
researcher, or interested reader is the new re-
print edition of their Illustrated
Dictionary of Place Names: United States and
Canada. This will be useful in learning the origins of place
names, and in un-
raveling the tangle of confusion one
finds with the multiple use of some place
names, or indeed even the multiple
derivations of some of these names. Un-
fortunately, however, there are
disappointments here as well. Some names
that really should be included in this
volume are not there. If one considers
the work's emphasis on the unusual,
interesting, and historically significant
words, then names such as the following
examples should have been con-
sidered: Nome (Alaska), New Harmony
(Indiana), Pelee (both Island and
Point in Ontario), Little Bighorn River
(Montana), and Watts (California). All
in all, though, this single volume,
available in both hard and paper bind-
ings, will be of more than a little
value, especially if one adheres to the stipu-
lation that all secondary
reference works should be used in such a way that
confirmation of information is possible.
Ohio Historical Society Carl W. Albrecht
From Blacksmith To General: General
Edmund Munger and the War of 1812
in Ohio. By Howard R. Houser. (Centerville, Ohio: The
Centerville Historical