Newson, M. D. (1975). Flooding and flood hazard in the United Kingdom, 59 pages, 90p, ISBN...

96 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS Newson, M. D. (1975). FLOODING AND FLOOD HAZARD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, 59 pages, 90p, ISBN CL-19-874035-2. Weyman, D. R. (1975). RUN OFF PRO- CESSES AND STREAMFLOW MODELLING, 52 pages, 90p ISBN C19-874038-7 Oxford University Press Series. Theory and practice in Geography. The style of this new Oxford series on Theory and Practice in Geography is so unusual that it seems appro- priate to divide this review into two sections, the first giving an appraisal of the two texts themselves and the second section commenting briefly on the value of this rather novel style of publication. Both of these books have the air of carefully prepared handouts intended as a discerning guide to the relevant literature and as the skeleton of a lecture course during which ‘flesh’ would be added to the outline in the form of detail, explanation and example. In order to compress even a n overview of the subject into this 15 to 20,000 word book, Weyman in ‘Runoff Processes and Stream- flow Modelling’ has been forced into a fairly blunt style; at times insufficiently explained and at others rather too simple and uncritical which suggests that the author experienced some difficulty in a book of this length in finding a ‘level’ at which to write. Newson, on the other hand, in ‘Flooding and Flood Hazard in the United Kingdom’, solves the compression problem by a bias towards the physical aspects of flooding and hazard to the detriment of economic aspects. The economic material that is included tends to deal mainly with urban and urban fringe situations and not with the extensive rural flood hazard assessed in the 30’s and later by Gilbert White as being economically as important as urban flooding. Who will buy these books and are they ‘value for money’? Most university courses will only allow three or four lectures to cover flood hazard. Will students pay 9% for reading material for this number of lectures? I think not, especially as the going rate for paperback seems to be a penny a page in the larger books. More important, will be the remainder of such a course cover- ing other aspects of hydrology and hazard be supported by similar texts? Where I see the major role and market for these books is in the increasingly popular modular courses where eight or ten lectures will expand upon one topic. Here these books could be used to their great- est advantage as a means of presenting the crucial points and significant papers relevant to a specific field of interest. ADRIAN MCDONALD

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Transcript of Newson, M. D. (1975). Flooding and flood hazard in the United Kingdom, 59 pages, 90p, ISBN...

Page 1: Newson, M. D. (1975). Flooding and flood hazard in the United Kingdom, 59 pages, 90p, ISBN 0–19–874035–2. Weyman, D. R. (1975). Run off processes and streamflow modelling, 52

96 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS

Newson, M. D. (1975). FLOODING AND FLOOD HAZARD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, 59 pages, 90p, ISBN CL-19-874035-2. Weyman, D. R. (1975). RUN OFF PRO-

CESSES AND STREAMFLOW MODELLING, 52 pages, 90p ISBN C19-874038-7 Oxford University Press Series. Theory and practice in Geography.

The style of this new Oxford series on Theory and Practice in Geography is so unusual that it seems appro- priate to divide this review into two sections, the first giving an appraisal of the two texts themselves and the second section commenting briefly on the value of this rather novel style of publication.

Both of these books have the air of carefully prepared handouts intended as a discerning guide to the relevant literature and as the skeleton of a lecture course during which ‘flesh’ would be added to the outline in the form of detail, explanation and example. In order to compress even a n overview of the subject into this 15 to 20,000 word book, Weyman in ‘Runoff Processes and Stream- flow Modelling’ has been forced into a fairly blunt style; at times insufficiently explained and at others rather too simple and uncritical which suggests that the author experienced some difficulty in a book of this length in finding a ‘level’ at which to write. Newson, on the other hand, in ‘Flooding and Flood Hazard in the United

Kingdom’, solves the compression problem by a bias towards the physical aspects of flooding and hazard to the detriment of economic aspects. The economic material that is included tends to deal mainly with urban and urban fringe situations and not with the extensive rural flood hazard assessed in the 30’s and later by Gilbert White as being economically as important as urban flooding.

Who will buy these books and are they ‘value for money’? Most university courses will only allow three or four lectures to cover flood hazard. Will students pay 9% for reading material for this number of lectures? I think not, especially as the going rate for paperback seems to be a penny a page in the larger books. More important, will be the remainder of such a course cover- ing other aspects of hydrology and hazard be supported by similar texts? Where I see the major role and market for these books is in the increasingly popular modular courses where eight or ten lectures will expand upon one topic. Here these books could be used to their great- est advantage as a means of presenting the crucial points and significant papers relevant to a specific field of interest.

ADRIAN MCDONALD