San Diego: An Introduction to the Region. Edited by
Philip R. Pryde. Second Edition. Dubuque, low a: Kendall/Hunt Publishing
Company, 1984. Maps. Illustrations. Bibliographies. Index. 297 Pages. $17.95 Paper.
The 1976 publication put together by Professor Philip Pryde
and the Geography Department of San Diego State University has been a most
useful introduction to the city and county of San Diego. San Diego: An
Introduction to the Region provided quick access to geomorphology, climate,
soils, population patterns, natural resources, coastal and marine environments,
water, agriculture, economics, the cityscape, recreational facilities,
population and conservation issues, and planning for the future. Each chapter
was accompanied by a bibliography to help the researcher pursue in depth those
topics of interest. Since it is difficult to properly understand history without
a knowledge of a region's geographical base, San Diego: An Introduction to
the Region has been of great value to local historians. Now the volume has
been updated in a second edition. Although the new edition retains the same
basic format and the same topics, the chapters themselves have been revised
(some extensively; some less so), as have the maps, charts and graphs. The most
important aspect of the revision has been the incorporation of the 1980 U.S.
Census data into the book. Thus an old friend of the historians of San Diego has
been made even more worthy.
