Randall is a former CIA analyst who was executive secretary of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for some 20 years. His study of place names describes how the names of things influence the way people view the world around them. He also shows how place names have entered popular culture and how the lack of permanent place names has caused problems for military and government bodies. A short chapter on unusual and unacceptable names provides especially rich reading for followers of the trivial, quirky, and strange. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR.