The National Geographic Complete 109 Years

It had been my lifetime dream to possess all NGS issues and to that extent this collection fulfils the requirement. The presentation of the package could have been better - more compact (with 31 CDs the package can be made less than 50% of the present volume), easy to access a particular CD and sturdy. After all the people who buy this collection are not the 'use-and-throw' type of people - they revere and respect the effort that has gone into making it a reality. The hundreds of man-years which have gone into it deserve better treatment.

Another good thing about it is it gives good historical review of technological products like cameras, automobiles and electronics - through advertisements.


Major Disappointment   July 15, 2000
Verne Robinson (Brooklyn, NY USA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

They scanned the pages and then compressed them into JPEGs. Even a top quality laser printer can't help the grey, smeary text output. If you like reading blurred text in a post card size window you'll be satisfied. Otherwise you're better off going to a library. I'm gonna sell my copy or give it away.


The World in a Box   June 14, 2000
5 out of 7 found this review helpful

Since more than a century the National Geographic Society brings the world to your home. Excellent articles enhanced with beautiful pictures by professional photographers let you glimpse a wide range of topics, from descriptions of countries, towns and villages, over people and animals, to scientific reports. This is certainly one of the best witness of the history of the twentieth century.
Many of these expeditions are actually financey by the National Geographic Society. The writer is always participant and often even the responsible scientist or traveller.
Spanning more than a century it might seem that many article are old. But they are still very interesting since they show worlds long lost to the spread of civilization. Furthermore, it gives the reader insights into the world as it was seen in other times.
The CD-Box compresses this vast knowledge into a small box. The integrated search function lets you find your topics of interest quickly. This is certainly one of America's best products and worth your money and time.