| The Times Atlas of the World is an excellent, if not the canonical, single-volume reference for geography, much as the OED is for the English language. Large-format (12" x 18"), with eight-color maps covering: topography climate vegetation populationpolitical boundaries210,000 place names. Boondock, Egypt is not represented, but there's a Bompoka in Nicobar and a Bamfumungu in Zaire... I find the alternative projections very cool; we all know about Mercator, but there's also: orthographicequidistantLambert azimuthalgnomonicMollweideGall's stereographicBartholomew'sthe ever-popular Sanson-FlamsteedCosts about US$80 and well worth it; however look for older editions (it's at eight now) on remainder, or even as a bonus with Book-of-the-Month Club membership. ISBN: 0-8129-1298-5 | 
