The rise of American geography as a distinctive science in the United States straddles the 19th and 20th centuries, extending from the post-Civil war period to 1970. American Geography and Geographers: Toward Geographic Science is the first book to thoroughly and richly explicate this history. Its author, Geoffrey J. Martin, the foremost historian on the subject and official archivist of the Association of American Geographers, amassed a wealth of primary sources from archives worldwide, which enable him to chart the evolution of American geography with unprecedented detail and context. From the initial influence of the German school to the emergence of Geography as a unique discipline in American universities and thereafter, Martin clarifies the what, how and when of each advancement. Expansive discussion of the arguments made, controversies ignited and research voyages move hand in hand with the principals who originated and animated them: Davis, Jefferson, Huntington, Bowman, Johnson, Sauer, Hartshorne, and many more. From their grasp of local, regional, global and cultural phenomena, geographers also played pivotal roles in world historical events, including the two world wars and their treaties, as the US became the dominant global power. American Geography and Geographers: Toward Geographical Science is a conclusive study of the birth and maturation of the science. It will be of interest to geographers, teachers and students of geography, and all those compelled by the story of American Geography and those who founded and developed it.

Applied Geography, A World Perspective reviews progress in applied geography in different regions of the world. It does this through the eyes of an international panel of highly regarded academic practitioners. The book offers new prospects on the use of established approaches and explores exciting new territories. Together, the contributors provide a comprehensive picture of applied geography today. This book is of relevance to faculty and graduate students in the fields of geography, planning, public policy, regional science and other related social and behavioural sciences.

Leadership in American Academic Geography: The Twentieth Century examines the practice of leadership in the most influential geography departments in the United States. Throughout the twentieth century, transformational leaders often emerged as inspirational department chairs, shaping the content and nature of the discipline and establishing models of leadership, often fueling the success of programs and sparking shifts in paradigms. Yet, on occasion, departmental chairmanships fell to individuals marked by laissez faire attributes, lapses in integrity, or autocratic behaviors, which at times led to disaster. Effective leaders within key academic departments played imperative roles in the discipline’s prosperity, and in contrast, mediocrity in leadership contributed to periods of austerity. Michael S. DeVivo aims to offer not only a historical perspective on the geographic discipline, but also insight to leaders in geography, today and in the future, so that they might be able to avoid failure and instead develop strategies for success by recognizing effective leadership behaviors that foster high levels of achievement.