NORTH AMERICA

Thirteen accordion-folded feet of North American history.

Printed on both sides and parading chronologically over the past 13,000 years, this panoramic timeline includes some notes on the continent’s natural history but leans largely toward human events and cultures—from an observation about the sophisticated medical practices of the ancient Aleuts (dated 10,000 B.C.E.) to the election in 2019 of two women of Indigenous heritage to the U.S. Congress. Along with using careful, respectful language when referring to Native groups and “enslaved people,” Albee highlights women, both in general comments about their influence in various cultures and by adding several, such as Mexico’s Sor Juana and Canada’s Laura Secord, to her select roster of significant historical figures. This evenhanded approach also comes out in, for instance, a comment that the U.S. earned its independence with “a ragtag army and a lot of help from France,” references to “white emigrants” moving westward in the 19th century, and the dates when all three North American countries entered World War II. Exley uses both general placement and a four-color system to differentiate small scenes and figures in northern, central, southern, or Caribbean regions. Sandwiched between maps of the continent, his impressionistic background landscapes occasionally give way to watery stretches that provide both additional information about select topics and visual relief.

Perforce superficial but tailor-made to lay out, and with, on a clear stretch of floor.