S EVERAL conclusions stand out from the mass of what has been written about the advantages and disadvantages of various projections. The conclusions may be paraphrased quite simply. There is no perfect all-purpose map. A projection should be selected with a given purpose in mind. At best, the selection will be the most useful compromise from the wide range of alternatives. After the conclusions have been stated, there then follows, in most texts upon this subject, a discussion or a listing of the characteristics of the better-known projections. The selector of a base map is then commended to these specifications for the frustrating task of matching his requirements with the known alternatives. Depending upon the insight of the map maker into his problem the matching process may or may not result in a wise choice. The awareness of the advantages and limitations of different projections should, of course, include more than mere technical specifications, important as they are. It is far more significant that the design or selection of a base map upon which to plot distributions for geographical analysis should be the outgrowth of specific concepts of geography. The larger the amount of the earth's surface to be represented, of course, the more difficult is it to minimize and control the distortions resulting from transformation of a spherical surface onto a plane. For this reason maps of the entire earth pose the greatest challenge to the map maker. It is the purpose of this paper to unite the threads of thought in the last two paragraphs through the presentation and illustration of a particular oblique equalarea map for world distributions. The discussion is divided into four parts: 1) a conceptual basis for oblique versus equatorial cases of world grids, 2) a brief description of the particular base map under consideration, 3) a. visual comparison of its angular deformation with that of two equatorial grids and one other oblique case, and 4) the illustration of its usefulness as demonstrated by four world patterns, two each from physical and human geography.