Richard John Chorley was known as a leading figure in quantitative geography in the late 20th Century and played an instrumental role in bringing the use of systems theory to geography. This set of 7 reissued works either edited by or written by Chorley offers a great wealth of scholarship on geography and geomorphology.
Originally published in 1984. This major text covers the whole discipline of geomorphology, presenting a clear and comprehensive overview of the field, drawing on the full range of modern research. Landforms and their formative processes are treated on a broad spectrum of spatial scales, and examples are drawn from the major geological, climatic and biotic environments. The book is divided conveniently into some 170 clearly defined sections to allow readers to make the most efficient use of those parts of the text relevant to their particular needs. After introducing the basic concepts such as systems analysis, morphologic and cascading systems, the historical-evolutionary approach and process-response geomorphology, the book moves on to the geological background to geomorphology and then the extensive third part deals with the geomorphic processes and responding landforms. Part four examines climatic geomorphology and the appendix touches on applied geomorphology, especially fluvial processes.
Originally published in 1973. This collection of essays looks at the ‘quantitative revolution’ and the ‘new geography’ by some of the geographers who had a significant part in those innovations and looks ahead to further developments. The views in the chapters are diverse and offer a fascinating glimpse of the discipline of geography as the subject was undergoing such change and becoming more socially committed. They cover theory, spatial-systems theory, forecasting, human ecology and climatology alongside the teaching of the subject. The concerns of the contemporary geographer come across and are of interest today as these areas have developed still more.
Originally published in this form in 1971, the content of this book was originally part of a larger composite volume ‘Water, Earth and Man’ (1969) which provided a synthesis of hydrology, geomorphology and socio-economic geography. This volume brings together the systematic theme of geomorphology while maintaining a link with the original book which emphasised the benefit of the study of water being considered in the widest sense within the physical and social environments.
Originally published in 1972. This book covers from ‘linear’ statistical methods, regression and variance analysis to multivariate methods to wider spatial analytic techniques, in which a clear association is maintained between quantitative data and the spatial coordinates which locate them. The purpose of this volume is to highlight this coherent area of scholarship under the general headings of spatial point systems, networks, continuous distributions, partitioning and simulation. Seventeen authors from Britain and the United States have been brought together to produce a book whose attention is on the body of spatial techniques necessary to enable the building of dynamic spatial models of landforms which formed the keystone of much geomorphic work in future years.
Originally published in this form in 1971, the content of this book was originally part of a larger composite volume ‘Water, Earth and Man’ (1969) which provided a synthesis of hydrology, geomorphology and socio-economic geography. This volume brings together the systematic theme of physical hydrology while maintaining a link with the original book which emphasised the benefit of the study of water being considered in the widest sense within the physical and social environments.
Originally published in 1965; second edition1970. Originally receiving a hostile reaction from British journals, the book's diagnosis and prognosis were a forerunner of developments in methodological changes of the discipline. It collects a series of essays looking at geographic concepts, techniques, and teaching methods and courses.
First published in 1967, this book explores the theme of geographical generalization, or model building. It is composed of five of the chapters from the original Models in Geography, published in 1967. The first chapter broadly outlines this theme and examines the nature and function of generalized statements, ranging from conceptual models to scale models, in a geographical context. The following chapters deal with mixed-system model building in geography, wherein data, techniques and concepts in both physical and human geography are integrated. The book contains chapters on organisms and ecosystems as geographical models as well as spatial patterns in human geography. This text represents a robustly anti-idiographic statement of modern work in one of the major branches of geography.
This extensively revised, restructured, and updated edition continues to present an engaging and comprehensive introduction to the subject, exploring the world’s landforms from a broad systems perspective. It covers the basics of Earth surface forms and processes, while reflecting on the latest developments in the field. Fundamentals of Geomorphology begins with a consideration of the nature of geomorphology, process and form, history, and geomorphic systems, and moves on to discuss: structure: structural landforms associated with plate tectonics and those associated with volcanoes, impact craters, and folds, faults, and joints process and form: landforms resulting from, or influenced by, the exogenic agencies of weathering, running water, flowing ice and meltwater, ground ice and frost, the wind, and the sea; landforms developed on limestone; and landscape evolution, a discussion of ancient landforms, including palaeosurfaces, stagnant landscape features, and evolutionary aspects of landscape change. This third edition has been fully updated to include a clearer initial explanation of the nature of geomorphology, of land surface process and form, and of land-surface change over different timescales. The text has been restructured to incorporate information on geomorphic materials and processes at more suitable points in the book. Finally, historical geomorphology has been integrated throughout the text to reflect the importance of history in all aspects of geomorphology. Fundamentals of Geomorphology provides a stimulating and innovative perspective on the key topics and debates within the field of geomorphology. Written in an accessible and lively manner, it includes guides to further reading, chapter summaries, and an extensive glossary of key terms. The book is also illustrated throughout with over 200 informative diagrams and attractive photographs, all in colour.