208
NORTH
AMERICAN
MOOSE. By R.L.
PETERSON. Universityof Toronto Press, 1955.
Paperback 1978.
This is thereprint of aclassic.Likeany
classic, so Randolph L. Peterson’s book on
moose, first publishedsome
28 yearsago,
remainsavaluableandinterestingsource
of
knowledgeto
thoseconcerned
with moose.
Upon rereading, it gives us a glimpse into the
theoretical worldof the mammalogist but a few
decades ago, and as such
is required reading
for those concerned with progress in science.
To those not yet familiar with it, I commend it
as an example of thorough scholarship, a good
reference book, and a gateway into the older
English literature. It is a fascinating contrastto
REVIEWS
books on moose of comparableage,suchas
that of ProfessorsW.G.HeptnerandA.A.
Nasimovic ( (Der Elch, Neue-Brehm-Bucherei
No. 386, 1967) an upgraded version of what is
found on moose in the classis Mammals of the
U.S.S.R. published in 1961, or Hans Kramer’s
Elchwald, the German management experience
date,
with moose,
published
in 1963. To
Peterson’s book
is
only
the
thorough
on moose in the
single-author
synthesis
English language, and as such is quite central
to our unfolding understanding of moose.
Dr. V . Geisr
Faculty of Environmental Design
University of Calgary
TRANSPORTATION
EASTERN
IN
economicgeography of EasternEuropeand
EUROPE EMPIRICALFINDINGS. By B. has no apparent
relevance
to the
book.
MIECZKOWSKI.
Boulder:EastEuropeanQuarFurthermore,
geographical
determinism
has
terly
(Distributed
by Columbia
University
been
considered
by geographers
to
be
a
Press, New York), East European Monographs fallacious term for at least half a century, and
No. 38, 1978. xv + 221 pp.
should not be used in scholarly analyses. The
final section of the
book,
dealing
with
Transportation in Eastern Europe, like that
projections (pp. 1%-200), is vague, subjective,
in othercomplex world regions, is abroad
on afewethereal
andalmostentirelybased
subjectand an intrinsicpart of its attendant statements
concerning
the
near
future
in
national economy, although transportationmay Poland:“Theassumptionsmade
by Polish
beanalyzed as an independentphenomenon.
long-range planners with regard to Poland may
Given
the
analytical
techniques
and
be cited here as anexample of the expectations
methodological approaches found in the social of growth of transport in Eastern Europe’’ (p.
sciences for assessment of economicsectors
197). The remainder of the book proceeds in a
including
transportation,
and
given
the
similarvein. Thus, despitetheauthor’sbest
plethora of variedinformation in numerous intentions, this treatment of transportation in
languages on transportation in Eastern Europe, Eastern
Europe
is mediocre,
banal,
and
most individuals seeking to write a synthesis
of superficial.
the subject face a gargantuan task unless they
Few of theauthor’smanypurposesand
restricttheirpurposetomanageableproporobjectives
(pp.
xiii-xv, 1-9) are achieved.
tions, concentrate on specific themes, delegate Despite Mieczkowski’s identification of major
someresponsibility to specializedcolleagues,
issues associated with planning transportation
assembleexistingmaterials(perhapsthrough
facilities (pp. 86-90), and discussion of issues
translation) into edited works,or in some other associated
with
charges
for
transportation
way transcend the intellectual and substantive
services(pp. 138-150), thebookcan be used
fragmentationinherent in thetask.Bogdan
for fewof its intendedpurposesbecause
it
Mieczkowski,
Professor
of Economics at dealswithEasternEuropeinnameonly.
Ithaca
College,
forsaking
such
other
apAnalysis relies mainly on statistical datafor
a synthesis of Polandsupplementedwith
proaches,
has
undertaken
faures forEast
transportation in Eastern Europe on the basis
Germany and Hungary, and on quotations and
of some of the secondary sources dealing with passing
references
for
the
remaining
five
1945. The
book
the
topic
published
since
on those
countries of Eastern
Europe,
comprises seven chapters: introduction, geog- occasions when their existence is recognized.
raphicandeconomicdeterminants,national
Concern for transportation
the
in
book
1945, costs, interna- vacillatesbetweendescription
planning,growthsince
of historical
tionalaspects,andconclusionsandprojecevolution and analysis of recent problems and
tions.
issues.
The
book,
however,
is neither a
on reasoned or scholarly antiquarian approach to
Analysis
commences
with section
a
geographical determinants of transport which
transportation,a statistical handbook,nora
virtuallyignoresthephysical,human,and
rigorous topical analysis. The book strikes this