Copperplate

Wales : 13 items
J. Speed    Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain 1676-1719 (1612)
£850
51 x 38.5cm


John Speed's maps of the English and Welsh counties are amongst the most decorative of early, British cartographic work, and are eagerly sought after today. They were first published in 1611 in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, designed as a companion volume to Speed's History of Great Britaine. The maps were based on the earlier surveys of Saxton, Norden and a few others, with engraving contracted to Jodocus Hondius whose signature appears on 33 of the maps. Speed's greatest innovation was the inclusion of inset plans of major towns and cities. Although some were copied from earlier work, for many towns this was first plan ever published. Speed's county atlas was re-issued a number of times for a period of around 160 years, with new publishers making various small changes and updates to the maps over time. This example of the map of Wales bears the publisher's imprint of Basset and Chiswell, whose edition of Speed's atlas was issued in 1676, although this imprint was unchanged for Christopher Browne's 1695 edition and for early issues by Henry Overton. The map is very decorative with town plans to the vertical margins of each of the county towns. A slight horizontal crease, but otherwise a very good and well coloured specimen.
Ref: WAL 013
 
R. Morden    Camden's Britannia 1695
£70
42 x 35.5cm


South Wales. Uncoloured. First Gibson Edition. Some offsetting. Repaired tear impinging c1cm within right hand border.
Ref: WAL 914
 
J. Jansson    Schenk and Valk Composite Atlases and sold singly/Atlas Anglois c1694-1724 (1646)
£235
51 x 40cm


North Wales. Jan Jansson's English and Welsh county maps were first published in 1646 in his Atlas Novus. Following the deaths of Jansson and his successor, Johan van Waesbergh, the printing plates were in 1694 acquired by the Amsterdam booksellers, Peter Schenk and Gerard Valck. The new owners' imprint was substituted and a graticule of grid lines was added to many maps, though that of North Wales was an exception. Miniature town plans were also engraved to mark major towns (as here with Flint, Denbigh and others) . The maps were sold singly and in made-up atlases. By c1714 the plates seem to have been acquired by David Mortier who re-issued some of them in his Atlas Anglois. They appeared for a final time in 1724 in an edition of the Atlas Anglois, now published by Joseph Smith. This example of the North Wales map may have come from any of the above sources, as the Schenk and Valck imprint remained unchanged in Mortier and Smith's editions. Original colour.
Ref: WAL 016
 
J. Cary    Camden's Britannia 1806 (1789)
£45
46.5 x 39.5cm


North Wales. Camden's Britannia was first published in 1586. County and general maps by Kip and Hole were first added in 1607, being supplanted by those of Robert Morden for the 5 editions from 1695 to 1772. In 1789 a new translation of the work by Richard Gough was published by T. Payne and G. & J. Robinson with updated and modernised maps by John Cary. The same maps were also later used in Cary's New British Atlas of 1805. They can be found uncoloured, with outline colour and with full wash colour. This example is from the second Gough edition of Britannia, published in 1806, and the maps are in full wash colour - the most desirable state.
Ref: WAL 916
 
J. Cary    Camden's Britannia 1806 (1789)
£45
52 x 39cm


South Wales. Camden's Britannia was first published in 1586. County and general maps by Kip and Hole were first added in 1607, being supplanted by those of Robert Morden for the 5 editions from 1695 to 1772. In 1789 a new translation of the work by Richard Gough was published by T. Payne and G. & J. Robinson with updated and modernised maps by John Cary. The same maps were also later used in Cary's New British Atlas of 1805. They can be found uncoloured, with outline colour and with full wash colour. This example is from the second Gough edition of Britannia, published in 1806, and the maps are in full wash colour - the most desirable state.
Ref: WAL 917
 
B. Capper    Topographical Dictionary of the UK 1808
£15
18 x 21cm


A folding map of the whole of Wales. Benjamin Pitts Capper was the author of this topographical directory, first published by R. Phillips in 1808. The maps were engraved, and possibly drawn by H. Cooper. Later editions of the work carry the imprint of G.and W.B. Whittaker who re-published the book from 1825-34. This example is from the first edition of 1808, with the counties shown in original, full wash colour. A small nick to right hand margin outside the platemark, not affecting the printed area.
Ref: WAL 920
 
J. Cary    New English Atlas 1811 (1809)
£40
56 x 47cm


North Wales. It is suprising that Cary's large county atlas was issued as late as 1809, as individual maps from it seem to have been sold singly from 1801. The atlas format was perhaps to compete with the similarly sized atlas of Charles Smith, which went under the same title and was published in 1804. It is perhaps Cary's finest production, the maps being notable for their fine design, detail and engraving. The atlas ran to several later editions by Cary, and the plates were later used for a variety of lithographic transfers by G.F. Cruchley. This example is from the second edition of 1811, and is in original full colour. Bottom centrefold repair c 0.5cm into the printed area.
Ref: WAL 921
 
J. Cary    New English Atlas 1811 (1809)
£50
56 x 47cm


South Wales. It is suprising that Cary's large county atlas was issued as late as 1809, as individual maps from it seem to have been sold singly from 1801. The atlas format was perhaps to compete with the similarly sized atlas of Charles Smith, which went under the same title and was published in 1804. It is perhaps Cary's finest production, the maps being notable for their fine design, detail and engraving. The atlas ran to several later editions by Cary, and the plates were later used for a variety of lithographic transfers by G.F. Cruchley. This example is from the second edition of 1811, and is in original full colour.
Ref: WAL 922
 
J. Duncan    A Complete County Atlas of England and Wales 1840-45 (1825)
£40
43.5 x 34cm


South Wales. Coloured. These maps were first published in 1825, and probably sold singly. In 1833 they were re-published by James Duncan in a thematic atlas to illustrate the representative changes brought about by the 1832 Reform Act. There were later re-issues in 1840 and 1845 with the addition of railways, and this map dates from one of these editions. A little light offsetting.
Ref: WAL 1128
 
A. Fullarton    Bell's New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales 1833-37
£33
24.5 x 19.5cm


South Wales.From a set of maps first published in partwork by Fullarton and Co. in 1833-34 in James Bell's New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales. The complete work was subsequently re-issued three times in 1834, 1836 and 1837. They were later re-published (again by Fullarton) in 1840 in The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales, with several further re-issues up to 1849. The maps were engraved on steel and sometimes bear the name of the engraver and sometimes not. This example is from the 1834 edition of Bell's Gazetteer and bears the signature of R. Scott as engraver. The attractive vignette shows a view of Oystermouth castle and harbour. Modern colour.
Ref: WAL 019
 
G.A. Walpoole    New British Traveller 1784
£70
32 x 20cm


North Wales. The New British Traveller was originally issued as a weekly partwork by the publisher Alexander Hogg, commencing in 1783. Once the series of 60 parts was completed in 1784 title pages were provided for the pages to be bound in a single volume. The work is a topographical review of Great Britain, containing numerous prints and a set of county and general maps. The maps are of varying sizes, being typically arranged 2,3 or 4 to a single page, with adjoining borders. The 2 maps of South and North Wales, engraved by Thomas Conder, are larger, single-page maps, and are amongst the most atttractive in the set. The text pages covering Wales may be available on request at no extra charge. Supplied mounted.
Ref: WAL 012
 
A.M. Mallet    Description de L'Univers 1686
£60
9.5 x 15cm


Description de L'Univers was a small format 5 volume work with copperplate maps covering the whole world. It was one of Mallet's major works. This example of his map of Wales is from the 1686 German edition, with the map's title translated into German outside the top border.
Ref: WAL 001
 
H. Teesdale    New British Atlas 1830 (1812-14)
£12
41 x 34cm


South Wales. This detailed and well engraved map was one of a set first published around 1812-14 by Robert Rowe, who was probably also their draftsman and engraver. The maps were initially sold singly in folding format until their collective issue in 1816 as The English Atlas. The plates were later acquired by Henry Teesdale, who amended titles and imprints and re-issued the work as the New British Atlas in 1829, with several re-issues up to 1842. The plates were later acquired and used by H.G. Collins and then by G. Philip and Son, who both used them as the base for lithographic transfers for a variety of works up to c1860. This example of the map of south Wales is from the 1830 second edition of Teesdale's atlas. Original wash colour. A repaired internal tear c4cms. long, and another repaired tear entering the lower border by c10 cms. Priced accordingly.
Ref: WAL 008