113 - GEORGE (Pierre). — The USSR.

GEORGE (Pierre). — The USSR. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 1962. “Orbis: Introduction to Geography Studies” series, edited by André Cholley. Second, updated edition. A substantial in-4 couronne paperback volume with an illustrated cover printed in brown and red; numerous maps, figures, graphs, and tables within the text. 497 pp. and 16 pp. of plates. Bibliographic catalogs confirm this collation and the 1962 edition. A major geographical study of the Soviet Union by Pierre George (1909–2006), one of the leading French geographers of the 20th century. This second, fully updated edition provides a comprehensive overview of the physical, human, and economic geography of the USSR in the early 1960s. The author examines, in turn, the major geographical units of the Soviet territory: the plains of Russia and Siberia, the Arctic regions, the major mountain ranges, and Central Asia, before addressing climates, soils, and vegetation zones, population distribution, resources, and economic organization. The book is richly illustrated with maps and diagrams, particularly regarding topography, geology, the polar regions, and the major Soviet geographical regions. This monograph should not be confused with the small volume *The Economy of the U.S.S.R.* published by the same author in the “Que sais-je?” series: this is the comprehensive geographical overview from the Orbis series, in a much larger format and with far more extensive documentation. Paperback copy preserved in its original illustrated dust jacket. The cover is slightly faded, with scuffing, small creases, and wear along the edges and spine; there is a small tear on the inside edge visible in the photograph, and a former owner’s stamp reading “Jean-Marie Bouvier” on the title page. The interior, however, is clean overall.