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American Geographical Society
Geography of World TradeGeographie des Welthandels by Joseph PartschReview by: Eugene van CleefGeographical Review, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan., 1928), p. 171Published by: American Geographical SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/208777 .
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GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS GEOGRAPHICAL REVIEWS
history of Asia is the key to the whole history of mankind. In helping us to achieve this understanding, "The Peoples of Asia" performs a really important service. A new edition, a few years hence, to keep us abreast of the progress of the investigations now going on, will be most welcome. C. . BISHOP
GEOGRAPHY OF WORLD TRADE
JOSEPH PARTSCH. Geographie des Welthandels. 358 pp.; index. Ferdinand Hirt, Breslau, I927. Rm. 22. 9h x 7 inches.
The late Dr. Partsch, a clear thinker and thorough research worker, Ratzel's worthy successor, passed away before he could complete this last work. Thanks to former students and friends, the editing and publication of the manuscript has been made possible, and in consequence an important contribution to the field of geog- raphy has been effected.
Partsch was always a pioneer, but his modesty retarded a full appreciation of his work by his contemporaries. Just as he was one of the first geographers to recognize the value of a regional treatment of his science, well developed in his "Central Europe," still a standard work, so in his "Geographie des Welthandels" he blazes a trail by his departure from the method of treatment that characterizes most of the commercial or economic geography texts.
Partsch intended to treat the subject in three parts, of which two appear in this volume, namely (I) the varying conditions under which man lives upon the earth and which give rise to exchanges and (2) the distribution of the world's goods which enter into world trade. The third part was planned to include a consideration of the means of distribution and of trade centers. In Part I density of population, races, language, religion, and political organization are treated, groups of facts being presented first under the respective headings followed by a statement of the geo- graphic significance of the group in the world's trade. Under Part II the distribution of the world's goods is presented regionally according to place of origin and subsequent development in other parts of the world. On this basis, treatment of plant and animal products of the land occurs by climatic regions, while products derived from the seas are discussed under a division of the seas largely climatic in character. Minerals receive attention in a special section. This treatment represents a distinct departure from that to which we have been accustomed. For example, American cotton production and trade are treated under " Products of the Monsoon Regions in South- ern and Eastern Asia," while tobacco finds a place under the subdivision, "Summer Drouth, Subtropical Region." On the other hand, cane sugar is discussed under the heading "The North Temperate Zone as a Primary Center for Agricultural Activ- ities." It is introduced here because the sugar beet has been a critical factor in European life, beet sugar having not only had to face competition with cane sugar, but having been confronted with the problem of maintaining itself upon the world's markets.
Partsch never loses sight of his viewpoint. He consistently keeps commodities in motion and quite as logically reduces economic discussion to a minimum, introducing it only as an incident to the movement of products. Likewise he recognizes the non-geographic influences in trade such as coinage, the telegraph, trade politics, and tariffs, remarking as follows about the last item: "It is surprising how generally handbooks of commercial geography entirely omit mention of tariffs" (p. 67).
Unfortunately the third part, on trade routes and trade centers, which Dr. Partsch planned to include, has been omitted; but there is hope that this may yet appear as a unit volume. It constituted a phase of geography which, in recent years, appealed strongly to the author.
EUGENE VAN CLEEF
history of Asia is the key to the whole history of mankind. In helping us to achieve this understanding, "The Peoples of Asia" performs a really important service. A new edition, a few years hence, to keep us abreast of the progress of the investigations now going on, will be most welcome. C. . BISHOP
GEOGRAPHY OF WORLD TRADE
JOSEPH PARTSCH. Geographie des Welthandels. 358 pp.; index. Ferdinand Hirt, Breslau, I927. Rm. 22. 9h x 7 inches.
The late Dr. Partsch, a clear thinker and thorough research worker, Ratzel's worthy successor, passed away before he could complete this last work. Thanks to former students and friends, the editing and publication of the manuscript has been made possible, and in consequence an important contribution to the field of geog- raphy has been effected.
Partsch was always a pioneer, but his modesty retarded a full appreciation of his work by his contemporaries. Just as he was one of the first geographers to recognize the value of a regional treatment of his science, well developed in his "Central Europe," still a standard work, so in his "Geographie des Welthandels" he blazes a trail by his departure from the method of treatment that characterizes most of the commercial or economic geography texts.
Partsch intended to treat the subject in three parts, of which two appear in this volume, namely (I) the varying conditions under which man lives upon the earth and which give rise to exchanges and (2) the distribution of the world's goods which enter into world trade. The third part was planned to include a consideration of the means of distribution and of trade centers. In Part I density of population, races, language, religion, and political organization are treated, groups of facts being presented first under the respective headings followed by a statement of the geo- graphic significance of the group in the world's trade. Under Part II the distribution of the world's goods is presented regionally according to place of origin and subsequent development in other parts of the world. On this basis, treatment of plant and animal products of the land occurs by climatic regions, while products derived from the seas are discussed under a division of the seas largely climatic in character. Minerals receive attention in a special section. This treatment represents a distinct departure from that to which we have been accustomed. For example, American cotton production and trade are treated under " Products of the Monsoon Regions in South- ern and Eastern Asia," while tobacco finds a place under the subdivision, "Summer Drouth, Subtropical Region." On the other hand, cane sugar is discussed under the heading "The North Temperate Zone as a Primary Center for Agricultural Activ- ities." It is introduced here because the sugar beet has been a critical factor in European life, beet sugar having not only had to face competition with cane sugar, but having been confronted with the problem of maintaining itself upon the world's markets.
Partsch never loses sight of his viewpoint. He consistently keeps commodities in motion and quite as logically reduces economic discussion to a minimum, introducing it only as an incident to the movement of products. Likewise he recognizes the non-geographic influences in trade such as coinage, the telegraph, trade politics, and tariffs, remarking as follows about the last item: "It is surprising how generally handbooks of commercial geography entirely omit mention of tariffs" (p. 67).
Unfortunately the third part, on trade routes and trade centers, which Dr. Partsch planned to include, has been omitted; but there is hope that this may yet appear as a unit volume. It constituted a phase of geography which, in recent years, appealed strongly to the author.
EUGENE VAN CLEEF
I7I I7I
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