explanation, the study of stability and change, and the primacy of empirical information to study the environment. Chapter 2 focuses on the nature of the reality that is studied by physical geography and con- cludes with the observation (p. 44) that: Understanding reality increasingly becomes a dialogue between the socially embedded re- searcher and reality. The ideas of the researcher are guided by theory, as are the means by which reality is investigated and the methodologies employed. Theories provide a frame- work for deciding what to study, how to study it and how to interpret the outcome of the dialogue. Chapter 3, a difficult one, deals with entities and classification, while Chapter 4 deals with forms of explanation, and discusses cause-and-effect relationships. In Chapter 5 things become rather more concrete as the key relationships between the entities being measured, their contexts and the measuring instruments are outlined. Chapter 6 is about Systems, and it too covers ground that is both more familiar and more immediately accessible to the reader. Chapter 7 looks at change and complexity, so that concepts such as equilibrium, chaos, emergence and evolution are explored. Chapter 8 briefly and rather superficially considers physical geography in the context of society. Given the modest size of the book, it would be impossible for it to provide a full history of all aspects of physical geography, or for it to investigate all aspects of scientific philosophy relevant to the theme at hand. I was, however, surprised that there was not more attention given to pre- diction, experimentation, simulation, and reductionism, or to recent overarching concepts such as Gaia and Earth System Science. Although the tone of this review may in places seem a little negative, this largely results from Rob Inkpen’s valiant attempt both to put a quart into a pint pot, and to merge the language of philosophy with that of physical geography. The fact is that this is an innovative book, for which there is as yet little or no competition. If it serves its purpose to introduce students to the need to think about the philosophical and theoretical framework within which they work, which is surely a good ideal, then it will have provided a worthwhile service. Undoubtedly, students will need to have substantial as- sistance from their tutors if they are to get the very best out of it, but tutors too will gain a great deal from asking themselves the same questions that their students will surely pose. Andrew Goudie St Cross College, UK doi:10.1016/j.jhg.2005.11.013 Elizabeth Mancke, The Fault Lines of Empire: Political Differentiation in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia, ca. 1760e1830, New York, Routledge, 2005, xiC214 pages, US$85.00 hardback. This book addresses a riddle central to North American historiography: why didn’t Nova Scotia (and by extension the rest of what would ultimately become Canada) join with the other Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution? After the expulsion of the Acadians, most residents of 241 Reviews / Journal of Historical Geography 32 (2006) 220e248