Settlement Geography is as ancient as human civilization. Settlement deals with dwellings and villages, township and cities. Prof. Dr. S. R. Chaudhari Ex-Principal, Pratap College, Amalner is an ardent devotee of Settlement Geography right from his students days. His doctoral thesis deals with rural settlements in Khandesh Region of Maharashtra (India) He has devoted the first half of his volume of the present book to – Introduction to the subject, Geographical personality of the region under study, Evolution of the settlements, Place names, Growth, Stagnation, Decline and Desertion of rural settlements in Khandesh, Density, Size, Spacing of settlements, Types of rural settlements, Rural dwellings and house types and amenities available in rural area of the study region. The research methodology applied for the study of these aspects of rural settlements is really a unique piece work. Various maps have added a visual grandeur to whatever theoretical material and practical applications he has complied. His maps and charts are highly illustrative and bring out the essence of the facts which he wants to highlight. His style is lucid, simple, straight forward and flowing logically and systematically.
In the second half, the last fourteen chapters of the total 27 chapters, the author deals with the various research techniques and applications in presenting the Rural Service Centres, Spaio-Temporal pattern of Rural Service Centres, Service areas of Rural Service Centres, Demarcation of Agro-Service Centres, Role of Rural Service Centres in Economic development, Regional planning of Rural Service Centres, Demographic characteristics, Migration, Rural transformation, Levels of Socio-Economic Development, Case studies, Rehabilitation, of villages, Identification of locations of settlements using Remote Sensing and GIS, and application of GIS in Rural Settlement Geography. Dr. Shankar Ramdas Chaudhari deserves kudos for this enterprise that is a valuable contribution to Geography and Rural Settlement Geography in particular.