Spain Brochure 2014: Fill & Download for Free

27 Best World Atlases For Map Lovers In 2020Owning a least one good world atlas is a must for any cartophile or map lover. But why stop at one? Below we’ve profiled 27 brilliant world atlases all map lovers would be happy to own.To make your life a little easier we’ve broken them down into 5 categories:Essential – Everyone should own at least one of these.Child & Student – Perfect for kids.Historical – For those that love history.Food & Drink – For those that love food and/or drink.Other – The world’s most interesting alternative atlases.We’ve tried to include as much information about each Atlas as possible including reviews (from Amazon), list price (Amazon almost always sells for less), publisher, edition and publication year (so you know how up-to-date it is).We hope you find one or two new Atlases you’ve never considered before or better yet never heard of altogether.Essential World Atlases1. National Geographic Atlas of the WorldDescription: If you’ve got the budget for it you can’t go wrong with National Geographic’s 10th edition of its Atlas of the World. Published to mark the 100th anniversary of National Geographic it includes:Illustrated mapsInformational graphics about changing global themes such as:climate changepopulation and urbanizationhealth and longevityhuman migrationcommunications technologyworld economyLargest and most comprehensive collection of political maps ever published by National GeographicSpecial sections for the Oceans, Space, and Flags and FactsIndex, with more than 150,000 place namesReview: 4.7/5Publisher: National GeographicPublication date: September 30, 2014Edition: 10thList Price: $195.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon2. Oxford Atlas of the WorldDescription: The only world atlas updated annually, guaranteeing that users will find the most current geographic information, Oxford’s Atlas of the World is the most authoritative atlas on the market.Full of crisp, clear cartography of urban areas and virtually uninhabited landscapes around the globe, the Atlas is filled with maps of cities and regions at carefully selected scales that give a striking view of the Earth’s surface.It opens with a fascinating look at world statistics and 18 pages of stunning satellite images, all sourced from NASA’s latest Earth Observation Satellite, Landsat 8.The extraordinarily extensive front matter continues with a “Gazetteer of Nations” that has been comprehensively checked and updated to include recent economic and political changes, and a 48-page “Introduction to World Geography,” beautifully illustrated with tables and graphs on numerous topics of geographic significance, such as the geology and atmosphere of Earth, food and water supply, biodiversity, energy, global conflict, human health, and standards of living.The hundreds of city and world maps that form the body of the Atlas have been thoroughly updated for this 23rd edition.Providing the finest global coverage available, the Atlas of the World is not only the best-selling volume of its size and price, but also the benchmark by which all other atlases are measured.Review: 4.3/5Publisher: Oxford University PressPublication date: October 1, 2016Edition: 23rdList Price: $89.95Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon3. Oxford New Concise World AtlasDescription: With hundreds of dramatic, full-color, large-format maps produced by Europe’s finest team of cartographers, the fifth edition of the New Concise World Atlas solidifies Oxford’s position as the only publisher of regularly updated atlases at every desirable size and price.Containing over 100 pages of the most up-to-date topographic and political maps, the New Concise World Atlas also features a new front section of satellite imagery to replace the old “Earth in Space” section, as well as new detailed maps of the ocean seafloors. In addition to this new front section, there are 16 extra pages of world maps for this new edition covering areas such as Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Peru, and Brazil.Recent changes to the world’s geography are thoroughly captured in this edition; fully updated tables and world statistics provide data on climate, population, area, and physical dimensions. Finally, an index with over 58,000 items make searching for lesser-known locales quick and easy.Truly international in scope, created with meticulous care, and reflecting the very latest political developments and census information, Oxford’s New Concise World Atlas, Fifth Edition achieves the highest standard among international map resources. This engaging and affordable resource is second to none in the superb quality of its maps, the breadth of its coverage, and its easy-to-use convenience.Review: 4.3/5Publisher: Oxford University PressPublication date: November 1, 2015Edition: 5thList Price: $39.95Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon4. The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the WorldDescription: Now in its fourteenth edition, the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World continues to be the benchmark of cartographic excellence. The world atlas is relied on and trusted by governments, media companies and international organizations around the world including the United Nations and the European Commission.New features:Double page map of the Arctic OceanNew maps of sub-ice features in the Arctic Ocean and the AntarcticPhysical maps of all the continentsMajor updates include:5000 place name changes, most notably in Japan, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan and Spain.A beautifully illustrated section on current issues, including climate change, economy and energy, and a new section on the power of maps.Updated national parks and conserved areas including the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), the largest conservation zone in the world.Realignment of the international boundary between Burkina Faso and Niger resulting from the International Court of Justice decision.Addition of Brussel as alternative local name form for Bruxelles (Brussels) as city is officially bilingual. Now shown as Brussel/Bruxelles.New administrative structures in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Madagascar, and the addition of the new Indian state of Telangana.Addition of over 50 major waterfalls around the world.Review: 4.2/5Publisher: Times BooksPublication date: September 25, 2014Edition: 14th Revised editionList Price: $200.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon5. National Geographic Concise Atlas of the WorldDescription: With more than 470 maps and graphics, this atlas delivers award-winning cartography with superbly designed and amazingly informative maps and graphics providing accurate coverage of the whole world.Including introductory sections for each continent and the flags and country facts at the end of each continental section, this atlas features stunning satellite images that portray unique physical geography and highlights the sprawling extent of major cities.Review: 3.8/5Publisher: National GeographicPublication date: August 30, 2016Edition: 4thList Price: $29.95Buy: Click To Buy On AmazonChild & Student Atlases6. National Geographic Kids Beginner’s World AtlasDescription: Jam-packed with the latest data, bright, bold images, large maps, a brand-new design, and lively information about the world’s land, people, and animals, the third edition Beginner’s World Atlas will be the most up-to-date world reference for kids ages 5–8.True to National Geographic’s reputation and legacy, they’ve created this atlas with the same care and attention to detail as our renowned adult atlases. “No one does maps or atlases with as much panache and knowledge as National Geographic,” said the Washington Post.With completely up-to-date facts-at-a-glance, a glossary, pronunciation guide, and comprehensive index, this completely revised atlas takes young readers on a high-energy tour of the world and will be a must-have in every home and school.Vibrant color, fresh design, amazing photography, and new icons will help kids quickly identify information related to land, plants, animals, languages and culture, and all aspects of the physical and political world. Parents and teachers will appreciate the front matter with information for children about maps and how to use the atlas.Review: 4.6/5Ages: 5 – 8 yearsPublisher: National Geographic Children’s BooksPublication date: August 9, 2011Edition: 3rdList Price: $18.95Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon7. National Geographic Kids World AtlasDescription: National Geographic’s classic atlas for kids is now fully revised and updated, with a reduced trim that makes it easy to carry and easy to browse. Complete with geo-themed games, crosswords, picture puzzles and more, this is the atlas for today’s young explorers, as well as the perfect homework reference source.National Geographic is committed to being the number one provider of the best atlases for young people of all ages. This new edition of the award-winning world atlas for kids includes the latest data, newest maps and graphs, a fresh and compelling design, and lively essays about the world and its wonders.Review: 4.8/5Ages: 8 – 12 yearsPublisher: National Geographic Children’s BooksPublication date: July 9, 2013Edition: 4thList Price: $14.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon8. National Geographic Student World AtlasDescription: The new fourth edition of National Geographic’s award-winning Student Atlas of the World is more fascinating and fact-filled than ever, and has gone interactive with new digital extras, including scannable pages that link to photo galleries and quizzes.Dynamic, user-friendly content includes photos, facts, charts, graphics, and full-color political, physical, and thematic maps on important topics. From the cartographic experts at National Geographic comes the latest edition of its award-winning student atlas, with everything kids want and need to know about our changing world!Review: 4.3/5Ages: 12 and upPublisher: National Geographic Children’s BooksPublication date: July 8, 2014Edition: 4thList Price: $12.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon9. Wiley/National Geographic College Atlas of the WorldDescription: In an exclusive partnership with National Geographic, Wiley offers a powerful resource that is affordable, compact, and authoritative. It puts our world in your students’ grasp, presenting 25 global themes, from tectonics, the biosphere, and energy sources to population, health, literacy, and more, along with such timely topics as environmental stress and flash points for conflict and terror.Review: 4.5/5Publisher: WileyPublication date: July 20, 2010Edition: 2ndList Price: $11.68Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon10. MapsDescription: This book of maps is a visual feast for readers of all ages, with lavishly drawn illustrations from the incomparable Mizielinskis.It features not only borders, cities, rivers, and peaks, but also places of historical and cultural interest, eminent personalities, iconic animals and plants, cultural events, and many more fascinating facts associated with every region of our planet.Review: 4.6/5Grade Level: Kindergarten – 12Publisher: Big Picture PressPublication date: October 8, 2013Edition: TraList Price: $35.00Buy: Click To Buy On AmazonHistorical World Atlases11. Atlas of World HistoryDescription: Oxford’s Atlas of World History is the result of years of intensive work by a specialist team of scholars, editors, and cartographers. It presents the story of humanity in its physical setting, from the emergence of the earliest hominoids to the present day.Truly international in scope, the atlas incorporates the latest research into Asian, African, and Central and South American history, as well as the traditional core of North American and European events.The Atlas includes sections on the Ancient World, Medieval World, Early Modern World, Age of Revolutions, and the Twentieth Century and Beyond. Each section opens with an introduction that highlights the main socioeconomic, cultural and religious themes of the period, followed by spreads of maps, text, illustrations and captions that discuss specific regions and eras.Spreads depict everything from hunting in Africa in 10,000 BC to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia in the earliest years of the millennium, the decline of the Byzantine Empire, the growth of the Atlantic economies in the 18th century, and standards of living since 1945.The Atlas features some 450 vivid full-color maps illustrating the major themes and events of world history, 100 photographs, 60 diagrams and hundreds of thousands of words of explanatory text.Unique for such an atlas, the entire work is thoroughly cross-referenced, allowing the reader to move backwards and forwards in time or across the world from region to region, following themes or lines of inquiry across pages.The new edition brings the Atlas into the 21st Century and up to the present day. New and updated maps and illustrations cover a wide range of evolving subjects such as population changes, international trading, urbanization, political and economic developments, literacy rates, the concentration of world languages, and many more important and always timely subjects.Coverage of Africa, South Asia, Eastern Europe, and every other part of the world is revisited and updated, making this the most up-to-date atlas of world history available, in addition to being the most complete.A comprehensive index of more than 8,000 entries includes numerous alternative name forms used over the centuries. The Atlas of World History closes with a bibliography that provides a booklist for suggested further reading.Equally well-suited for a general audience and students of history or international relations, the Atlas of World History continues Oxford’s presence as the premier publisher of world atlases.Review: 4.0/5Publisher: Oxford University PressPublication date: October 15, 2010Edition: 2ndList Price: $49.95Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon12. Atlas of the Civil WarDescription: In this one-of-a-kind atlas, scores of archival maps and dozens of newly created maps trace the battles, political turmoil, and great themes of America’s most violent and pivotal clash of arms.From the Antebellum South to Fort Sumter, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the fitful peace of Reconstruction, National Geographic’s Atlas of the Civil War displays eye-opening maps—and a gripping, self-contained story—on every spread.Eighty-five rare period maps, many seen here for the first time, offer the cartographic history of a land at war with itself: from 19th-century campaign maps surveying whole regions and strategies to vintage battlefield charts used by Union and Confederate generals alike, along with commercial maps produced for a news-hungry public, and comprehensive Theater of War maps.In 35 innovative views created especially for this book, the key moments of major battles are pinpointed by National Geographic’s award-winning cartographers using satellite data to render the terrain with astonishing detail.In addition, more than 320 documentary photographs, battlefield sketches, paintings, and artifacts bear eyewitness testimony to the war, history’s first to be widely captured on film.Review: 4.7/5Publisher: National Geographic;Publication date: October 20, 2009Edition: FirstList Price: $40.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon13. On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World LooksDescription: Imagine a world without maps. How would we travel? Could we own land? What would men and women argue about in cars? Scientists have even suggested that mapping—not language—is what elevated our prehistoric ancestors from ape-dom.Follow the history of maps from the early explorers’ maps and the awe-inspiring medieval Mappa Mundi to Google Maps and the satellite renderings on our smartphones, Garfield explores the unique way that maps relate and realign our history—and reflect the best and worst of what makes us human.Featuring a foreword by Dava Sobel and packed with fascinating tales of cartographic intrigue, outsize personalities, and amusing “pocket maps” on an array of subjects from how to fold a map to the strangest maps on the Internet, On the Map is a rich historical tapestry infused with Garfield’s signature narrative flair.Map-obsessives and everyone who loved Just My Type will be lining up to join Garfield on his audacious journey through time and around the globe.Review: 4.0/5Publisher: GothamPublication date: November 5, 2013Edition: NAList Price: $17.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon14. Atlas of Cursed PlacesDescription: This alluring read includes 40 locations that are rife with disaster, chaos, paranormal activity, and death.The locations gathered here include the dangerous Strait of Messina, home of the mythical sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis; the coal town of Jharia, where the ground burns constantly with fire; Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where 8 million migrating bats darken the skies; the Nevada Triangle in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where hundreds of aircraft have disappeared; and Aokigahara Forest near Mount Fuji in Japan, the world’s second most popular suicide location following the Golden Gate Bridge.Review: 3.6/5Publisher: Black Dog & LeventhalPublication date: October 6, 2015Edition: FirstList Price: $24.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon15. Atlas of Lost CitiesDescription: Like humans, cities are mortal. They are born, they thrive, and they eventually die.In Atlas of Lost Cities, Aude de Tocqueville tells the compelling narrative of the rise and fall of such notable places as Pompeii, Teotihuacán, and Angkor. She also details the less well known places, including Centralia, an abandoned Pennsylvania town consumed by unquenchable underground fire; Nova Citas de Kilamba in Angola, where housing, schools, and stores were built for 500,000 people who never came; and Epecuen, a tourist town in Argentina that was swallowed up by water.Beautiful, original artwork shows the location of the lost cities and depicts how they looked when they thrived.Review: 3.4/5Publisher: Black Dog & LeventhalPublication date: April 5, 2016Edition: FirstList Price: $24.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon16. The Map BookDescription: From the earliest of times, maps have fired our imaginations and helped us make sense of our world, from the global to the very local. Head of Map Collections at the British Library, Peter Barber has here compiled an historic and lavish atlas, charting the progress of civilization as our knowledge of the world expanded.Simply organized as a progression through time, The Map Book collects some 175 maps that span four millennia – from the famed prehistoric Bedolina (Italy) incision in rock from around 1500 B.C. to the most modern, digitally enhanced rendering.Many of the maps are beautiful works of art in their own right. From Europe to the Americas, Africa to Asia, north to south, there are maps of oceans and continents charted by heroic adventurers sailing into the unknown, as accounts spread of new discoveries, shadowy continents begin to appear n the margins of the world, often labeled ‘unknown lands.’Other maps had a more practical use: some demarcated national boundaries or individual plots of land; military plans depicted enemy positions; propaganda treatises showed one country or faction at an advantage over others.So much history resides in each map–cultural, mythological, navigational–expressing the unlimited extent of human imagination. This is captured in the accompanying texts–mini essays by leading map historians–that are as vivid and insightful as the maps themselves.They make The Map Book as much a volume to be read as to be visually admired.Review: 4.1/5Publisher: Walker BooksPublication date: November 15, 2005Edition: 1stList Price: $50.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon17. New Historical Atlas of the WorldDescription: The Historical Atlas of the World presents important periods and turning points in 5,000 years of world history in over 100 pages of thematic maps.Atlas Features: 2015 copyright updated to include recent world events, Presents major periods of world history through more than 100 bold, colorful maps, Thematic maps include literacy, languages, religions, and more.Review: 4.4/5Publisher: Rand McNallyPublication date: July 31, 2015Edition: 6thList Price: $12.00Buy: Click To Buy On AmazonFood & Drink World Atlases18. World Atlas of WineDescription: The seventh edition will confirm the status of The World Atlas of Wine as the most essential and authoritative wine reference work. Reflecting the changing nature of the wine scene, the Atlas details developments in climate, technique and fashion as well as new regulations made over the last six years.A new Australian map highlights the importance of cool-climate regions as global warming takes effect, for example,while dynamic regions such as coastal Croatia, South Africa’s Swartland and Ningxia in China are covered for the first time. The world’s increasing appetite for wine is matched by a growing thirst for knowledge,which this book will amply satisfy.Review: 4.8/5Publisher: Mitchell BeazleyPublication date: October 8, 2013Edition: 7thList Price: $60.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon19. World Atlas of WhiskyDescription: Award-winning author and whisky expert Dave Broom explores over 200 distilleries and examines over 400 expressions. Detailed descriptions of the Scottish distilleries can be found here, while Ireland, Japan, the USA, Canada and the rest of the world are given exhaustive coverage.There are tasting notes on single malts from Aberfeldy to Tormore, Yoichi (and coverage of the best of the blends). Six specially created ‘Flavour Camp Charts’ group whiskies by style, allow readers to identify new whiskies from around the world to try.This extrensively updated and extended edition features new material on burgeoning areas, including detailed coverage of many recently opened US craft distilleries, new distilleries in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and discussion of the growing whisky scene in Latin America.With over 200 beautiful colour photographs and 21 colour maps locating distilleries and whisky-related sites, this is a stylish celebration of the heritage, romance, craftsmanship and versatility of whisky.Review: 4.8/5Publisher: Mitchell BeazleyPublication date: October 14, 2014Edition: 2nd revisedList Price: $39.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon20. World Atlas of BeerDescription: Take a brew-lover’s trip around the world in this definitive, revised, and expanded guide.Join renowned experts Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont on the ultimate beer journey, covering more than 35 countries from Austria to New Zealand. This richly illustrated, comprehensive guide kicks off in Europe, travels through the Americas, and ends in Asia.Along the way, you’ll learn about everything from the wheat beers of Bavaria, Belgium’s Trappist ales, and Finnish sahti to British bitters, barrel-aged Californian beers, Vietnamese bìa hoi, and more, with full tasting notes for over 500 must-try brews.Webb and Beaumont also offer a fascinating history of beer and an in-depth look at the science and art of beermaking.This newly revised and expanded edition of The World Atlas of Beer features ten additional countries—including Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Iceland, and China—as well as up-to-the-moment beer industry information and trends. With this ultimate companion in hand, you can explore the best beers in the whole world.Review: 4.9/5Publisher: Sterling EpicurePublication date: October 18, 2016Edition: NAList Price: $30.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon21. The World Atlas of CoffeeDescription: Taking the reader on a global tour of coffee-growing countries, The World Atlas of Coffee presents the bean in full-color photographs and concise, informative text. It shows the origins of coffee — where it is grown, the people who grow it; and the cultures in which coffee is a way of life — and the world of consumption — processing, grades, the consumer and the modern culture of coffee.Plants of the genus Coffea are cultivated in more than 70 countries but primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. For some countries, including Central African Republic, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Honduras, coffee is the number one export and critical to the economy.Organized by continent and then further by country or region, The World Atlas of Coffee presents the brew in color spreads packed with information. They include:The history of coffee generally and regionallyThe role of colonialism (for example, in Burundi under colonial rule of Belgium, coffee production was best described as coercive. Every peasant farmer had to cultivate at least 50 coffee trees near their home.)Map of growing regions and detail mapsCharts explaining differences in growing regions within a countryInset boxes (For example, what is the Potato Defect? Is Cuban coffee legal in the United States?)The politics of coffee and the fair trade, organic and shade grown phenomenaBeautiful color photographs taken in the field.Americans consume 400 million cups of coffee per day, equivalent to 146 billion cups of coffee per year, making the United States the leading consumer of coffee in the world. The World Atlas of Coffee is an excellent choice for these coffee lovers.Review: 4.8/5Publisher: Firefly BooksPublication date: October 23, 2014Edition: NAList Price: $35.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon22. Atlas of FoodDescription: The Atlas of Food provides an up-to-date and visually appealing way of understanding the important issues relating to global food and agriculture. In mapping out broad areas of investigation—contamination of food and water, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiency, processing, farming, and trade—it offers a concise overview of today’s food and farming concerns.Buttressed by engaging prose and vivid graphics, Erik Millstone and Tim Lang convincingly argue that human progress depends on resolving global inequality and creating a more sustainable food production system.Review: 4.7/5Publisher: University of California PressPublication date: March 1, 2013Edition: UpdatedList Price: $24.95Buy: Click To Buy On AmazonOther World Atlases23. Atlas of Improbable PlacesDescription: It is perhaps the eighth wonder of our world that despite modern mapping and satellite photography our planet continues to surprise us.Hidden lairs beneath layers of rock, forgotten cities rising out of deserted lands and even mankind’s own feats of engineering eccentricity lie in the most unusual of destinations.Travis Elborough goes in search of the obscure and bizarre, the beautiful and estranged. Taking in the defiant relics of ancient cities such as Ani, a once thriving metropolis lost to conquered lands, and the church tower of San Juan Parangaricuto, that miraculously stands as the sole survivor of a town sunk by lava.Through the labyrinths of Berlin and Beijing – underground realms dug for refuge, espionage and even, as Canada’s Moose Jaw, used as the playground for gangsters trading liquor and money over cards.Never forgetting the freaks and wonders of nature’s own unusual masterpieces: the magical underground river shaped like a dragon’s mouth in the Philippines and the floating world of Palmerston.With beautiful maps and stunning photography illustrating each destination, Atlas of Improbable Places is a fascinating voyage to the world’s most incredible destinations.As the Island of Dolls and the hauntingly titled Door to Hell – an inextinguishable fire pit – attest, mystery is never far away. The truths and myths behind their creation are as varied as the destinations themselves.Standing as symbols of worship, testaments to kingships or even the strange and wonderful traditions of old and new, these curious places are not just extraordinary sights but reflections on man’s own relationship with the world around us.Review: 4.1/5Publisher: Aurum PressPublication date: October 15, 2016Edition: First EditionList Price: $29.99Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon24. Atlas of Remote IslandsDescription: There are still places on earth that are unknown. Visually stunning and uniquely designed, this wondrous book captures fifty islands that are far away in every sense-from the mainland, from people, from airports, and from holiday brochures.Author Judith Schalansky used historic events and scientific reports as a springboard for each island, providing information on its distance from the mainland, whether its inhabited, its features, and the stories that have shaped its lore.With stunning full-color maps and an air of mysterious adventure, Atlas of Remote Island is perfect for the traveler or romantic in all of us.Review: 4.1/5Publisher: Penguin BooksPublication date: October 5, 2010Edition: First EditionList Price: $30.00Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon25. Atlas of CitiesDescription: More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and that proportion is expected to rise to three-quarters by 2050.Urbanization is a global phenomenon, but the way cities are developing, the experience of city life, and the prospects for the future of cities vary widely from region to region. The Atlas of Cities presents a unique taxonomy of cities that looks at different aspects of their physical, economic, social, and political structures; their interactions with each other and with their hinterlands; the challenges and opportunities they present; and where cities might be going in the future.Each chapter explores a particular type of city–from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome and the networked cities of the Hanseatic League, through the nineteenth-century modernization of Paris and the industrialization of Manchester, to the green and “smart” cities of today.Expert contributors explore how the development of these cities reflects one or more of the common themes of urban development: the mobilizing function (transport, communication, and infrastructure); the generative function (innovation and technology); the decision-making capacity (governance, economics, and institutions); and the transformative capacity (society, lifestyle, and culture).Using stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photographs, the Atlas of Cities is a comprehensive overview of the patterns of production, consumption, generation, and decay of the twenty-first century’s defining form.Presents a one-of-a-kind taxonomy of cities that looks at their origins, development, and future prospectsFeatures core case studies of particular types of cities, from the foundational cities of Greece and Rome to the “smart” cities of todayExplores common themes of urban development, from transport and communication to lifestyle and cultureIncludes stunning info-graphics, maps, charts, tables, and photosReview: 4.4/5Publisher: Princeton University PressPublication date: August 24, 2014Edition: NAList Price: $49.50Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon26. Map: Exploring the WorldDescription: Map: Exploring the World brings together more than 300 fascinating maps from the birth of cartography to cutting-edge digital maps of the twenty-fist century.The book’s unique arrangement, with the maps organized in complimentary or contrasting pairs, reveals how the history of our attempts to make flat representations of the world has been full of beauty, ingenuity and innovation.Selected by an international panel of curators, academics and collectors, the maps reflect the many reasons people make maps, such as to find their way, to assert ownership, to record human activity, to establish control, to encourage settlement, to plan military campaigns or to show political power.The selection includes the greatest names in cartography, such as James Cook, Gerard Mercator, Matthew Fontaine Maury and Phyllis Pearsall, as well as maps from indigenous cultures around the world, rarely seen maps from lesser’known cartographers, and maps of outstanding beauty and surprising individuality from the current generation of map makers.Review: 5/5Publisher: Phaidon PressPublication date: September 28, 2015Edition: 1stList Price: $59.95Buy: Click To Buy On Amazon27. Transit Maps of the WorldDescription: Transit Maps of the World is the first and only comprehensive collection of historical and current maps of every rapid-transit system on earth. In glorious, colorful graphics, Mark Ovenden traces the cartographic history of mass transit—including rare and historic maps, diagrams, and photographs, some available for the first time since their original publication.Now expanded with thirty-six more pages, 250 city maps revised from previous editions, and listings given from almost a thousand systems in total, this is the graphic designer’s new bible, the transport enthusiast’s dream collection, and a coffee-table essential for everyone who’s ever traveled in a city.Review: 4.6/5Publisher: Penguin BooksPublication date: November 3, 2015Edition: Expanded and updatedList Price: $35.00Buy: Click To Buy On AmazonWe hope you enjoyed the list. However, if you think we’ve missed any great atlases, please let us know in the comments section below.Know anyone else who loves a good Atlas? Then please share this post with thThink This Map Was Brilliant? Get Our Most Brilliant Maps Free Each WeekNational Geographic Kids Beginner's World Atlas$18.95(406)World Atlas$16.94(375)The Atlas of Food: With a New Introduction$29.95(10)Map: Exploring the World$45.63$59.95(78)Ads by AmazonFiled Under: World Map

Q. How much is the plasma you donate worth?A. $20 to $50 per donation. Payment is for time/inconvenience, pain. Unit of plasma costs hospitals $300+. Uses: hemophiliacs, albumin for burns, immunoglobulins for immune and neurologic disorders. US supplies 70% of the world (OPEC for plasma). It is a lucrative business for an industry with a long history of negligence and a complicit FDA.How to Make Money Donating Plasma (wallethacks.com)The Twisted Business of Donating Plasma (theatantic.com)How Much Is Your Body Worth on the Black Market? - Finance Degree CenterHow to Make Money Donating Plasma (wallethacks.com)January 19, 2018 Jim WangCan you make money donating plasma? Yes.Unlike red blood, where you can't make money donating blood, you can often get paid lots of money to donate plasma.Donating plasma is a more involved procedure. It takes more time, is less pleasant than donating red blood, so they make up for it by paying you money.Blood plasma is the clear liquid part of the blood. It contains water, some enzymes, antibodies, and proteins. They use it to create products that can help folks with blood clotting disorders and other diseases.You get paid because it can take about an hour and a half.To get just the clear liquid part:Your blood is drawn,the plasma is separated,and the blood is returned to your body.Here's the big kicker — you're not donating to the Red Cross anymore. You're donating to a business. They will sell your plasma to companies that turn them into products. It's only fair they compensate you for the time and your plasma, right?Do your research before deciding to donate plasma. I'm not a medical professional, I'm not advocating you donate anything and am merely explaining how it works. I've never personally donated plasma and am unlikely to ever do so.As an aside, I've been asked whether I think donating plasma is ethical. Yes, it's perfectly ethical. It's your blood, your time, and you should do whatever you want with it. I've heard stories of people earning a nice supplemental income donating plasma and paying off their debts with it. I have no problem with it at all.Who Is Eligible to Donate?Generally speaking, you need to be 18-69 years old and over 110 pounds.Local and state laws may override center requirements. For example, in Nebraska, you must be 19 years or older or produce written consent.How Much Do You Get Paid?The compensation varies based on you and how often you donate.A lot of plasma donation centers run promotions where you get paid more if you donate more often. For example, ADMA BioCenters in Atlanta has a coupon for an extra $5 on your first donation and pay more if you have a special antibody (Anti-D).It feels a little weird, seeing coupons and promotions on a blood plasma donation site, but that's how this world works.You're not in the charitable arena of the Red Cross anymore, these are businesses and so are you.You can expect to be paid anywhere from $20 to $50 per donation.The range in compensation is related to the volume of plasma you're able to donate. The FDA sets the guidelines and the ranges are 110-149 pounds, 150-174 pounds, and 175-400 pounds. The more poundage, the more plasma, and the more cash you're paid.Most places will pay you via a debit card to make the payment process smoother.If you want to earn money but don't want to donate your blood plasma to get it, take a look at these 276+ confirmed websites that will pay you money to do work. We update the list regularly.How often can you donate? This will vary from place to place, the American Red Cross only lets you donate once every 28 days. Private centers will let you donate up to twice in 7 days with at least one day in between. That's how they come up with figures like “make $300 a month” from donating plasma.How to Find a Plasma Donation CenterThe FDA inspects plasma donation centers for compliance with laws but doesn't itself manage them. They're run by companies so there's no central clearinghouse, you need to just search for a local one, confirm it's in compliance, and then see which one makes it worth your while.DonatingPlasma.org – 450 centersOctapharma Plasma – 45 centersGrifolsCSL PlasmaLook for First Time Donor CouponsBlood plasma is a competitive business so you may be able to find a first time donor coupon to increase your payout (at least the first few times).For example, here's a coupon from BioLife Plasma Services, valid only at their Ammon, ID location:Found at this page – but Google for one at your local centerYou may be able to get higher than typical payouts, but not always. Do your homework!What Should You Bring?Proof of address, a valid photo ID and proof of your Social Security Number. Your name must exactly match on those documents. Proof of address can be what's on your photo ID.In preparing, make sure you eat regularly and drink plenty of fluids.You Can Donate Plasma for FreeDoes the idea of selling plasma for money irk you? Do stories of people selling plasma for money leave a bad taste in your mouth? No problem – you can donate it for free if you want.The American Red Cross collects plasma too and will let you donate every 28 days. Just call 1-800-RED-CROSS to schedule an appointment.The Twisted Business of Donating Plasma (theatantic.com)DARRYL LORENZO WELLINGTON MAY 28, 2014Since 2008, plasma pharmaceuticals have leapt from $4 billion to a more than $11 billion annual market. Donors desperate for the cash incentive from high-frequency "plassing" may be putting their health, and the public's, at risk.I needed the cash.That was how I found myself laying in a plasma “donation” room filled with about 40 couches, each equipped with a blood pressure cuff and a centrifuge. A white-coated attendant (workers aren’t required to have medical or nursing degrees) pricked my arm. He separated my plasma from my whole blood into a large bottle, and returned my protein-depleted blood, which flowed back into my arm to rebuild my nutrient supply.“My house is so noisy with four kids so I come here for my relaxation,” said a middle-aged, haggard-looking woman on the next couch, the plasmapheresis machine at her side whirring. A clinician instructed us both to pump and relax our fists, like cows milking our own udders.Before leaving I received a calendar that mapped out my pay, if I maintained a twice-weekly schedule for subsequent donations. Even a $10 bonus on my next visit!How did I get here? My rent was due. I had insufficient funds in the bank. I was 48-years-old, a journalist running short on cash from writing assignments and odd jobs. That was when I saw an ad offering $50 per plasma donation: blood money, or more specifically, payment for my time and any small pain involved in the process of having protein-rich plasma extracted from the blood. Regulars call it “plassing.”Hospitals, Red Cross units, and nonprofit agencies reject the plasma center model because cash incentives may give donors an incentive to lie.The ad I’d seen featuring smiling attendants suggested an experience similar to one at a sedate hospital. The facility I entered buzzed like a school lunchroom. There were first-timers waiting to complete the initial medical exam, and regulars hurrying to check in at automatic computer terminals. Easily 50 to 60 “plassers” were present at any given moment, the crowd continually ebbing and flowing. All were like me—hopeful, needy, and impatient to get paid.I received an oral examination. I was not surprised by the many questions about my sexual behavior, but I was taken aback by repeated questions regarding tattoos. Three times I was asked if I had lied and “really” had tattoos. After the clinicians tested a blood sample for protein levels, I underwent a bare-bones medical checkup. But I questioned its efficiency given that my examiner ran through scores of questions so fast I had to ask him to repeat himself. I spotted a sign: NO PAYMENT UNLESS DONATION IS COMPLETED."Plassers" receive payments on a special debit card that extracts a surcharge whenever they use it. Curiously, while my examiner hurried me through the screening, he did patiently lay out the payment scheme. Did he know how desperate I was? His “Don’t worry. You’ll pass” attitude may have expressed condescension, unprofessionalism, or benevolence.My extraction went smoothly. I left with a ray of hope that I could “plass” next month’s rent money. The literature provided at U.S. centers ubiquitously states that "donating plasma is safe." Its side effects are limited to "mild faintness and bruising." (My brochure also added, "Other possible side effects will be explained by our medical staff," though I can’t say any such explanation stayed with me.) But the following day my body received an impromptu schooling in the price tag of the world I had entered.It happened at about five o’clock the next day. Unexpectedly, with no apparent cause or logical relationship to physical exertion, I felt my legs go rubbery. I was Silly Putty. This was something more than “mild faintness” and particularly disturbing because of the aspect of a random attack. I suddenly felt so weirdly fatigued that I couldn’t stand on my feet. I barely reached the couch before I passed out for five hours straight. Luckily, I was safely ensconced at home. But since I substitute teach as well as freelance write I woke up wondering: What would I do if that happened at my day job?What had happened? I had received my welcoming to the subtle physical changes, possibly exacerbated by work and poverty, which may be the upshot of plassing. And my research began.* * *Biotest, CSL Plasma, Yale Plasma. These are some of the funny corporate names that dot my state, New Mexico, and maybe yours. Or OctaPharma. Or Biolife.Plasma reaped from paid U.S. donors makes up about 70 percent of worldwide collections. The United States is conversationally known in the industry as “the OPEC of plasma collections.”But why plasma?Proteins in the plasma collected at places like Biotest are necessary for the manufacture of a wide range of pharmaceuticals produced by for-profit corporations. The industry burgeoned in the 1950s thanks to a boom in new drugs for hemophiliacs. Plasma centers have historically worn the scarlet letter in the blood-collection universe.The number of centers in the United States ballooned during the Great Recession, with 100 new centers opening and total donations leaping from 12.5 million in 2006 to more than 23 million in 2011.Hospitals, Red Cross units, and nonprofit agencies relying on voluntary donations reject the plasma center model because cash incentives for whole blood may give donors an incentive to lie, heightening risks of a tainted supply. Such risks are higher overall for whole blood, too.Prior to the AIDS crisis, plasma collection practices were often under the table, but the medical community still operated under a general assumption that those standards for plasma were good enough. The assumption proved disastrously wrong. Industry practices eventually cost the hemophiliac community dearly.Throughout the '60s and '70s, plasma companies minimized their own overhead costs by relying on chancy prison populations paid a pittance: $5 to $10 dollars per “plassing” donation. Roughly 50 percent of American hemophiliacs contracted HIV from bad plasma-based pharmaceuticals (a much higher infection rate than that suffered by gay men at the time), making worldwide plasma medication HIV outbreaks the industry’s most publicized scandal.People with hemophilia filed class-action suits. These included substantial evidence that a major plasma company continued to distribute “old supplies” of bad medications after becoming aware of the AIDS infection. The public was dismayed to discover that the industry operated under the protection of federal and state blood shield laws, limiting its liability.By the 1990s, the industry’s public reputation reached a low point, with American collections dwindling, U.S. federal regulators clamping down, and revelations coming to light that spoke poorly of industry oversight and humanitarianism. Even before the AIDS crisis devastated U.S. plasma collections, other controversies, such as incidents of hepatitis C infection in plasma pharmaceuticals, led corporations to keep overhead low and avoid regulation by transporting the payment-incentives collections system to penniless countries abroad.In the 1990s, China attempted to develop a plasma market to compete with Western companies by touting money for plasmapheresis in China’s most impoverished province, Henan. Villagers that were too poor to afford condoms soon realized they could earn more money by selling plasma than by farming the land, but the facilities offered substandard sterilization techniques, needles, and blood bags. By 1995, Henan Province had become a blood farm built on a criminalized plasma economy. Thousands of Chinese donors became infected with AIDS and Hepatitis C.Today, many plasma products for hemophiliacs have been outdated by medical advances, but the industry thrives producing albumin for burns and intravenous immunoglobin, used to treat immune disorders and neurological conditions. The industry has returned to the United States in a big way with the help of brighter, user-friendly advertisements that include appeals to public service and reminders of the economy’s downfall to encourage donors. The number of centers in the United States ballooned during the Great Recession, with 100 new centers opening and total donations leaping from 12.5 million in 2006 to more than 23 million in 2011.Monopolization has transformed the industry, which now consists of five international corporations operating in the United States under Food and Drug Administration regulation: Baxter International of Deerfield, Illinois; CSL of Australia; Talecris of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina; Grifols of Spain; and Octapharma of Switzerland. A possible sixth big player is Biotest AG, the for-profit arm of a Dutch nonprofit corporation, Sanquin. Since 2008, plasma pharmaceuticals have leapt from an approximate $4 billion to a more than $11 billion annual market.* * *Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I live, has a crowded but reasonably clean Biotech Plasma center. But the state’s largest city, Albuquerque, population 552,804, has three plasma centers that would have challenged my willingness to “plass” no matter how needy I was. Yale Plasma, located on a strip where panhandlers convene, resembles a pawn shop. The exterior window sports a motto for in-house lotto games; the interior is remarkably cramped. Another Albuquerque center, CSL Plasma, is larger, but has no chairs. Donors crouch on the floor, or stand in long lines until they plass. Asking a young man if he minded squatting, I’m told CSL removed the complementary seating to “keep the bums out of here.”The Blood HarvestPlasma is “pooled” or collected in containers to prepare it for a process called “fractionation,” which will render it usable. The bigger the plasma pools, the cheaper they will be to process—which Dr. Lucy Reynolds, a research fellow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, cites as an example of the industry cutting corners.Large pools maximize profits. Furthermore, although large pools are subject to advanced safety analyses (21st-century viral testing has made Hepatitis C and AIDS contamination rare) health officials have raised the concern that as market plasma spreads globally, the harm that could result if another AIDS-like pathogen infiltrated the system would be exponentially greater."Certain governments are people and people’s-rights centered," says Reynolds, who recently published a paper castigating the plasma trade. "In those places they make the plasma corporations play by the rules; sometimes they just choose to have as little as possible to do with them. But the United States is a corporate country"—that maintains the Western world's least restrictive plasma regulations.U.S. centers also have a policy assured to reel in those with an ongoing, immediate need for small sums of cash: $50 for the first five donations, then $60 a week if you willingly go under the needle twice a week.“I call it a grubby business because they knowingly endanger the health of donors in the U.S. by harvesting them twice a week, while in every other place in the world you’re only allowed to donate fortnightly, ” Reynolds says.I interviewed plassers in Albuquerque but, given that my questions included asking if they lied to pass medical examinations, the people I spoke with often asked me not to use their last names."Going into the center makes me feel like a lab rat," says Ron, a 33-year-old single father and unemployed schoolteacher, who began regularly plassing six years ago to make ends meet for his new son. He was disqualified at a local center because he had many visible tattoos, but accepted at another center “that was less picky.” Ron reports no particular bad side effects but still worries. "They tell me there are no long-term effects but the answers they give at these places are so robotic."A haggard man with bloodshot eyes standing outside the CSL center identified himself as “Bubba,” and said he was homeless and an alcoholic. He had suffered a serious head injury in youth and had been plassing for nearly 15 years with no ill effects other than "sometimes my arm hurts really bad." He also continually falls asleep on the couches. In fact, Bubba once collapsed in the standing lines at CSL, but he appreciated the extra cash. He says he was unhappy when he had been drinking too much to pass the protein level test, but claimed he later discovered, “If I swallow ketchup before going in I can pass any test they throw at me.”Bubba was cognizant that donors who were homeless, alcoholic, or had suffered head injuries like his own were, in theory, barred. "Everybody lies," he said. "Nobody is honest on all those questions."I left the conversation wondering whether Bubba was an example of why other nations don’t want to expose their citizens to the commercial plasma trade, and many make (increasingly unsuccessful) efforts to limit imports of commercial plasma from the United States. Should a homeless alcoholic be banned from plassing for his safety and ours?Gabriella, a 51-year-old mother of three, began plassing eight years ago after she was laid off in a cut-back of state government employees. She admits to having lied to pass the screening after realizing that she had become too thin to pass the weight test, and "put on extra clothes, just to squeak past the weight minimum" of 110 pounds. Gabriella knows other regular plassers, often homeless, who use ankle weights.Kevin Taylor, a 27-year-old student at the University of New Mexico, plassed to meet expenses, but found that over two years of plassing he lost 15 pounds.“I definitely wasn’t eating regular meals, and I think the pressure of keeping up my two donations a week was making me sick,” he says.Kevin Crosby, 48, began plassing 10 years ago to provide for his six-year-old daughter.Many people I interviewed left me questioning whether, when poverty is the primary motivation, the advisability of twice-weekly plassing should be reconsidered.“Every time I’ve had this weird hollowed out feeling. And a lot of times the next day I will have serious fatigue," he says. "Then, about five years ago when I was working night shift at a security job, I had that weird fatigue. I don’t know what hit me but I woke up on the floor. They accused me of falling asleep; I know I blacked out.”Crosby has had several blackouts, including one that hit when he was driving."I had to pull over," he says. "I had to sit there several minutes in a daze. It really freaked me."The fact that other Western nations adopt a “better safe than sorry” attitude (when they sanction commercial collection centers at all) by insisting on two-week intervals between donations should raise eyebrows about U.S. practices. Many people I interviewed left me questioning whether, when poverty is the primary motivation, the advisability of twice-weekly plassing should be reconsidered. Not to mention the other likely health complications donators may suffer from, including stress, poor nutrition, and inadequately or untreated medical conditions.All told, I interviewed almost three-dozen regulars at CSL and Yale Plasma. More than half of them confessed to frequent, bizarre tingling sensations, pains, rubbery legs, and severe dehydration, as well as to having been homeless, having lied to pass medical exams, and having used "tricks" that allowed them to pass protein-level tests. They lived in circumstances that made plassing a hardship, but said, "I can't eat if I don't plass."I described the experiences above to medical historian Harriet A. Washington, author of Deadly Monopolies and Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans. Washington said, “Our blood supply is now very safe, although not perfectly so.” Hepatitis C and HIV infection are as rare as 1 in every 1 million blood recipients.Washington is not opposed to payment centers that observe safety standards and adhere to regulations. Neediness and economic hardship don't necessarily make a donor unsafe, which is a historic prejudice. The crux, Washington says, "is how we screen donors.""If these companies are winking at donors' deception, then they're putting us all in serious danger. In an ideal world, I'd want more government oversight to closely monitor these collection sites."Why do donors, including myself, suffer fatigue akin to blackouts? During plasmapheresis, centers often use a chemical, sodium citrate, to keep blood from clotting, Washington explains."Sodium citrate and other citric-acid derivatives bond with the calcium in your blood, and afterwards the calcium is no longer available to your body. We know that some people respond badly to sodium citrate. The worst case is rare: extreme hypocalcaemia, which can be fatal. But more often, people will suffer fainting, tingling and numbness, muscle contractions, or even seizures. Walking around with depleted calcium can be extremely dangerous. It can lead to serious healthcare issues."These issues include: heart arrhythmias, seizures, osteoporosis, eye strain, breathing problems, brittle bones, and chronic kidney conditions.A summary of a 2005 report by Jeffrey L. Winters published in the Journal of Clinical Apheresis states that "the most common aphaeresis-specific reaction is hypocalcemia due to citrate anticoagulation, which, while usually mild, has the potential for severely injuring the donor." In fact, Winters writes, compared to whole-blood donations, “the risk of reactions requiring hospitalization is substantially greater.” Plasma centers that don't inform donors of these risks are abrogating patients' medical rights—yet none of the people I interviewed who experienced “funny fits” or weird tingling sensations were knowledgeable of the possibility of hypocalcaemia.Several reported that they had inquired about such symptoms at centers but were given absolute guarantees of safety. And it seems preposterous to expect them to diagnose themselves when centers prominently display statements like the following one from a Baxter Inc. press kit: Donating plasma is a low risk procedure with minimal or no side effects."In Belgium, approximately 5,000 donations are mixed into donor pools. In the United States, some donor pool sizes are in excess of several hundred thousand donations."I sat in a pizza parlor with Kevin Crosby near the Yale Plasma center. He rolled up his sleeves and showed me a huge sore where 10 years' of needles have gone into his arm."I never in my life thought I would have to do this to survive," he said. "A lot of the staff aren't competent with the needles. People get jittery talking about that stuff, but a lot talk about how much money they make off us. I say, if they’re going to exploit us they could at least pay us. I say they could pay us $100 for twice a week."Crosby has also always been pestered by doubts: Why does he have black outs, and how safe is this plasma? Looking at the suspect patrons, "you can tell something is wrong with them," he says.I tell Kevin about the industry’s history of negligence: the tragedies in South America, the American prison collections, and the AIDS outbreak among hemophiliacs who received medications tainted because the industry put market share above safety controls. I explain that today the monopolized industry harvests in the U.S. because only the FDA will allow them to reap enough plasma to support an international market. Nowhere else in the West believes twice-a-week donations are advisable, and the international community isn’t as sanguine regarding detrimental health effects. Kevin’s blackouts are probably a bad reaction to an anticoagulant, sodium citrate."I have read every word of every paper I've signed at CSL and Yale," Kevin claims. "I haven't seen a mention about this."Critics today still question the wisdom of cutting costs by maintaining massive plasma pools. Safer systems operate on a not-for-profit basis, and only require sufficient amounts of plasma to meet domestic needs. A 2005 report published by writers at Ghent University in Belgium says that in Belgium, “approximately 5,000 donations are mixed into such pools. In Germany, pools containing up to 60,000 donations are considered.” In the United States, “some donor pool sizes are in excess of several hundred thousand [donations]. ”The authors recommend alternative pooling strategies because the “risk of contamination of these pools increases rapidly with the pool size.” Zealous precaution today could spare us untold misery tomorrow.“Hearing all this,” says Crosby, “I never want to walk into those places again.”This piece was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, a journalism non-profit dedicated to stories about inequality.How Much Is Your Body Worth on the Black Market? - Finance Degree Center