Your first road atlas

[roadfro]

I don't think I ever had an atlas, per se... However, my first road maps were an odd source: My local telephone book. I would eagerly await the regular updates to the area phone books to see if there were new or expanded maps–for most of my youth, we got new phone books twice a year. (Apparently, Las Vegas, due to the constant influx of people, was one of the few major cities that published twice a year. Now that they have two volumes, the maps are only done once a year.) I credit most of my pre-driving knowledge of the Las Vegas area street system to this avid review of phone book maps.

[GCrites]

^Those were never my favorite maps, but they required little effort to obtain.  I gave them some time for that reason. Before I discovered DeLorme books they were good for more detail than state maps.

I should mention that I exempt DeLorme from my general distaste for atlases as opposed to maps. I might not make it to every rural city hall for more detailed maps of counties I don't live near especially these days where my road trip time is very limited. And every time I stay in a motel in  non-party mode I check out the phone book. Unfortunately it seems phone book maps have gone downhill or even absent in many towns.

[vdeane]

The Rochester phone books used MapWorks for their map data, so the maps in them were quite good, often being more recent than the latest MapWorks atlas (but covering a smaller area).

I should mention that I exempt DeLorme from my general distaste for atlases as opposed to maps.

What's wrong with atlases?

[bandit957]

I don't think I ever had an atlas, per se... However, my first road maps were an odd source: My local telephone book. I would eagerly await the regular updates to the area phone books to see if there were new or expanded maps–for most of my youth, we got new phone books twice a year. (Apparently, Las Vegas, due to the constant influx of people, was one of the few major cities that published twice a year. Now that they have two volumes, the maps are only done once a year.) I credit most of my pre-driving knowledge of the Las Vegas area street system to this avid review of phone book maps.

The Cincinnati area Yellow Pages had local street maps. In the '80s, they weren't so great. Each road was a thin gray line, regardless of what type of road. And the maps were frequently wrong.

Later, the Yellow Pages started using much better maps.

[GCrites]

I should mention that I exempt DeLorme from my general distaste for atlases as opposed to maps.

What's wrong with atlases?

Maps are bigger.

[NE2]

I should mention that I exempt DeLorme from my general distaste for atlases as opposed to maps.

What's wrong with atlases?

Maps are bigger.

Actually, atlases usually have more surface area than maps.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

My first favorite road atlas was a 1997 AAA atlas with spiral binding. I think I saw it recently in the garage even.

[GCrites]

I should mention that I exempt DeLorme from my general distaste for atlases as opposed to maps.

What's wrong with atlases?

Maps are bigger.

Actually, atlases usually have more surface area than maps.

Well yeah, because they usually cover more real estate but in lesser detail and/or on a smaller scale.

[vdeane]

Huh?  It's generally the opposite (ignoring national atlases) - the atlas covers everything in more detail at a larger scale than the fold-out map.  My Jimapco NY atlas shows every street in NY, and my MapWorks regional atlases show every major one; a fold-out map will only show you the most major roads at the state level.  At the city level, the detail is the same, but the area covered is not - a fold-out map will focus on the city itself and maybe the closest suburbs.  An atlas will usually show the entire metro.

[GCrites]

I mean individual state maps vs. entire U.S. atlases, not state maps vs. state atlases.

[CapeCodder]

Huh?  It's generally the opposite (ignoring national atlases) - the atlas covers everything in more detail at a larger scale than the fold-out map.  My Jimapco NY atlas shows every street in NY, and my MapWorks regional atlases show every major one; a fold-out map will only show you the most major roads at the state level.  At the city level, the detail is the same, but the area covered is not - a fold-out map will focus on the city itself and maybe the closest suburbs.  An atlas will usually show the entire metro.

Jimapco is pretty good. I have their New England Road Atlas.

[robbones]

Until another company comes out with a cmv version of the atlas, I'm stuck with buying a Rand McNally.

[slorydn1]

The first one I remember was the 1974-ish Rand McNally (Allstate Motor Club edition). Since my dad was a member he got a new map every year, and I got the previous year's map to "play" with. I wish I still had them!