ABSTRACT

From Herodotus to Heyerdahl the far-off and seldom visited lands that have been but little known or understood have been a particular concern of geographers. The public is still apt to think of geography primarily in terms of geographical discovery and exploration, and it is often a bit disillusioned upon learning how seldom geographers actually are concerned with far-away and romantic places and peoples. In the days when German geography was great, one or more field seasons or wanderjahre in an unfamiliar physical and cultural environment in one of the further reaches of the earth was almost a requisite of graduate training. Geography, no more than any other academic discipline, can expect to long endure or command respect as a teaching field done. The dearth of widely-read semi-popular books on geography in America is in embarrassing contrast to the situation in Europe.