The Naval Intelligence Handbooks: a monument in geographical writing

Abstract

The Naval Intelligence Handbooks produced by British academics between 1941 and 1946 form the largest single body of geographical writing ever published. Two teams of authors based at Oxford and Cambridge completed 31 titles (58 volumes) before financial constraints required many titles to be cancelled. Speed and accuracy were absolutely essential in preparation of the Handbooks since lives might well depend on the quality of the information presented. This wartime experience served as a springboard into university careers for some British geographers, and in several instances peacetime publications were stimulated by research previously undertaken as part of the Naval Intelligence project. Sixty years later the economic and social information in the Handbooks appears seriously outdated, but historical, geological and topographic accounts retain their validity, especially those relating to parts of the world distant from Europe.

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