W. Kip Camden's Britannia 1637 (1607)
The first five editions of Camden's successful history and topography of Britain were without maps, but for the sixth edition of 1607 the engravers William Hole and William Kip were commissioned to provide a set of maps of the counties of England and Wales, plus 3 general maps of the countries comprising the new "United Kingdom". These maps were retained for the subsequent 1610 and 1637 editions. They are based on the earlier work of Saxton, Norden, Smith and Owen. This attractively coloured example is from the 1637 edition.
J. Speed Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine 1623-32 (1612)
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 1612 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 bears the imprint of Sudbury and Humble, dating its issue to between 1611 and 1654. Repair to centrefold.
J. Blaeu Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1647,1648 or 1664 (1645)
The Blaeu family were one of the leading Dutch map producers of the 17th century. Their major work, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, later titled the Atlas Maior, was a multi volume world atlas initiated by Willem Blaeu and expanded by his son Joan. Their maps were beautifully designed and engraved, and are often found with original colour, making them most desirable to collectors. 1645 saw the first publication of volume 4 of the atlas, containing maps of England and Wales. There were several re-issues between then and 1672 when most of Blaeu's plates were lost in a fire which engulfed his Amsterdam premises. Dutch text to verso dates this example to 1647, 1648 or 1664. Original full colour. Repaired tears to top and lower centrefold well outside the printed area. Some soiling to margins, but the printed area generally clean and fresh.
Jan Jansson was one of Amsterdam's leading 17th century mapmakers, and a close rival to the Blaeu family. His multi-volume world atlas first saw the introduction of 6 maps of individual English counties into the German edition of 1636, and a further 11 of English and Welsh counties in the Dutch edition of 1644. But when Jansson saw the 1645 Blaeu volume with more decorative maps covering all the English and Welsh counties, he felt obliged to revise his existing plates and complete the set in order to compete. His new volume covering England and Wales was first published in the 1646 Latin text edition of the Atlas Novus. In 1694 the printing plates were acquired by the Amsterdam firm of Schenk and Valk who made various revisions, and sold the maps singly or in composite atlases. This example, covering both Hertfordshire and Middlesex, bears the Schenk and Valck imprint, and has had a graticule of latitude and longitude added. Original full colour.
R. Morden Magna Britannia et Hibernia 1718-39 (1701)
Morden's set of smaller maps may originally have been drawn and engraved for Camden's Britannia, but rejected as too small. They were first published in 1701 in The New Description and State of England. This example is from Magna Britannia et Hibernia, originally issued as a 92 part topographical work between 1714 and 1731, but gradually also made available in 6 finished, bound volumes. The text and map of Hertfordshire first appeared in 1718, but further editions were issued up to 1839 with the maps unchanged.
Original outline colour. Some repaired marginal nicks and tears not affecting the printed area. Some dampstaining to the side margins, but again well outside the printed area. Otherwise a very attractive specimen. This new series of maps was commenced in 1749, with maps sold singly until the last counties were completed and the full series issued in 1760 as the Large English Atlas. Hertfordshire was one of the first issued in 1749. J.Tinney's name on the imprint probably dates this copy to the first edition of the atlas in 1760, though it could have been sold individually as a pre-atlas copy between 1753 and 1760.
J. Ellis Ellis's English Atlas 1766 (1765)
Joseph Ellis's English Atlas was an entry into the market for small county atlases by its publishers Robert Sayer and Carington Bowles. The county maps were closely based upon those drawn by Thomas Kitchin for the 1763 topographical work England Illustrated, the major difference being the attractive vignettes which replaced Kitchin's rococco cartouches. The atlas was first published in 1765, and soon became a commercial success, running to many later editions. It was promoted as a travelling atlas, and made available in various formats. These included a version with the maps printed back to back on each page, as with this example from a 1766 edition which has a map of The Isle of Wight on the reverse.
J. Cary New and Correct English Atlas 1809 (1787)
The last decades of the 18th century saw less emphasis being placed on the traditions of decorative mapmaking in favour of a plainer style and design. Foremost amongst this new wave of "modern" cartographers and engravers was John Cary. The New and Correct English Atlas was Cary's first major production as a publisher in his own account. The maps were not only clearly and elegantly drawn and engraved, but also set new standards in accuracy in taking advantage of all the new large-scale county surveys of the second half of the 18th century. The atlas was first published in 1787, with a re-issue in 1793. By 1808 the plates were well worn, and the engraving of a new set was begun. The next dated edition of 1809, from which this example comes, utilised these new plates. Original outline colour.
The New British Traveller. 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 map of Herts is sold mounted ready for framing.
Charles Smith was a successful London publisher and map-seller, whose work is stylistically very similar to that of John Cary. His large format New English Atlas first came to market in 1804, but many of the maps have also been found in folding format and may have been sold individually before the publication of the atlas. Smith's maps were well designed and accurate, making use of the large scale county surveys of the previous half-century. The atlas was a commercial success and was up-dated and re-published regularly until c1865 (the latter editions produced by lithographic transfer). This example is from the 1808 second edition, and is in bright and original full colour.
John Aikin (or Aiken) wrote this topographical work for children in order "to make my young countrymen better acquainted than they are usually found to be with their native land". The first edition of 1788 did not include county maps, but these were added for the second edition of 1790, from which this example comes. The work was published by Joseph Johnson, but the maps are unsigned. There were four later editions of the book with the maps, and one without. The Hertfordshire map is fairly simple, befitting the needs of its target audience, and the text may be available at no extra charge.
B. Capper Topographical Dictionary of the UK 1808
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 hundreds shown in original, full wash colour.
J. Cary New English Atlas 1811 (1809)
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.
A. Fullarton The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England and Wales 1847 (1833)
These maps were first published by Fullarton and Co. in 1833 in James Bell's New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of England and Wales which was re-issued three times in the 1830's. They were subsequently 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 Parliamentary Gazetteer of 1847 and bears the signature of Gray & Son as engravers. Supplied mounted and ready for framing.
This work was published in 1835 as a companion volume to Lewis's Topographic Dictionary. It contains county and borough maps, drawn by R. Creighton and engaved by J.& C. Walker, and was designed to show the electoral and boundary changes effected by the 1832 Reform Act. There were 2 issues of the work in 1835 and 1840, this example of the county map being from the 1835 first edition. Original outline colour.
H. Moll A New Description of England and Wales/A Set of Fifty New and Correct Maps of England and Wales 1724-35
This map first appeared in A New Description of England and Wales, first published by Herman Moll and Thomas and John Bowles in 1724. The work was a topography of England and Wales, based on Camden's Britannia, and accompanied by a set of maps of the English and Welsh counties. The maps were subsequently issued separately in several editions, and under different titles, as a county atlas, for which plate numbers were added. This example is the second state of the map, bearing the plate number 18. This dates it to one of the editions of A New Description of England and Wales or of A Set of Fifty New and Correct Maps of England and Wales published between 1724 and 1739.
In 1695 John Seller published a county atlas titled Anglia Contracta. The plates were much later acquired by Francis Grose, revised, and used in a supplement to his partwork on British antiquities. The supplement with maps was first published in 1787, and ran to several later editions. The Grose edition is most easily distinguished by simplification of the original title cartouches, and by the addition of text below the map, continued on the verso.
H. Moll The Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire 1700
Sir Henry Chauncy's important work on Hertfordshire was published in 1700, apparently in a print run of 500 copies. Chauncy was an eminent lawyer and antiquarian. The work included this county map by Hermann Moll, and a few other town plans and views There was a much later republication of the work in 1826 (with a newly engraved county map), but this example is from the first edition of 1700. A tight right hand margin (as taken from the book), but without loss to the printed area.
Anon. The History of London and Its Environs 1798
The History of London and its Environs was a partwork published by John Stockdale bewteen 1796 and 1811. It included a number of maps, including this one of Hertfordshire. The map is closely based upon that of the county engraved by John Cary for Camden's Britannia, and may even be by Cary himself, who was involved with Stockdale on various projects. It does not, however, bear any engraver's signature.
J. Seller Anglia Contracta/A History of England/Camden's Britannia Abridged 1695-1703
First published in Anglia Contracta in c1695, Seller's maps were subsequently reissued in A History of England in 1696, and in Camden's Britannia Abridged in 1701. They were later re-used in the 1780's in Grose's Antiquities of England and Wales, for which titles and scale-bars were changed, the maps also being set in a page of text. The Seller/Grose maps are common, the originals by Seller much less so.
A. Perrot L'Angleterre, ou Description Historique et Topographique du Royaume de la Grande-Bretagne 1824-35
The text for this French topographical work on Britain was written by George Depping, the maps being drawn by Aristide Perrot and engraved by A. Migneret. It was first published in 1824, with subsequent editions in 1828 and 1835. The maps often cover more than one county as in this example which also includes Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire. The surrounding decorative border shows the typical produce and wares of the counties. Original outline colour
This map, by an unknown hand, was first issued as one of the series which accompanied Thomas Read's weekly topographical partwork, The English Traveller, published from 1743-46.The map plates were subsequently acquired by John Rocque and re-issued under the title The Small British Atlas in c1753. The atlas was re-issued in 1762 and 1764, before the final appearance of some of the maps in the topographical work England Displayed in 1769. This example is from the 1753 edition of The Small Britlish Atlas (with amended mileage scale and traces of a removed plate number). The maps are often found described as "Rocques", irrespective of the source publication from which they emanate.
Britannia Depicta was one of 3 pocket-sized reductions of Ogilby's road book that appeared within an 18 month timeframe between 1719 and 1720. It was more innovative than the others in including much additional topographical and historical information (researched by John Owen) on the maps. The work was a commercial success and ran to many later editions up to c1764. Supplied mounted and ready to frame.
James Wallis's New British Atlas was first published in 1813 by S.A. Oddy. There was a second edition in 1816. This example is from the first edition and is dated 1812 on the imprint. It is in attractive, original, full wash colour.
E. Bowen The Natural History of England 1763 (1759)
This map first appeared in 1759 in Benjamin Martin's General Magazine of Arts and Sciences, a monthly partwork which commenced publication in the same year. In 1763 those parts relating to natural history were collected together into 2 volumes with the county maps and offered under the title The Natural History of England. There were no later re-issues and the maps are not common.
Camden's Britannia - a history and topography of Britain - was first published in 1586 and had a long and successful publication history. County maps by Kip and Hole were addded in 1607, and these also appeared in the editions of 1610 and 1637. Over 50 year's later it was decided to issue a new and updated edition. The original Latin text was re-translated by Edmund Gibson, and Robert Morden was commissioned to provide a new set of county and general maps in a more modern style. The revised work was issued in 1695. There were 4 further editions of the Gibson/Morden work, the last in 1772, before a further updated version by Richard Gough was launched in 1789, with new maps by John Cary. This example is from the third Gibson edition of 1722. An ex-library blind-stamp to the white margin, but a nice example.
J. Cary Traveller's Companion 1792 (1790)
Original outline colour. Slightly browned. Cary's Traveller's Companion was first published in 1790. It proved very popular as a pocket atlas and road book, and ran to several editions up to c 1828. This example is dated 1792, and is sold in a black and gold "Hogarth" frame.
J. Bill The Abridgement of Camden's Britannia 1626
An attractive and rare county map, as the work was only ever printed in one edition with a print run suggested as just 200. The maps were copied from Saxton, and are notable as the first set of county maps to show latitude and longitude. A true collector's item from the rarest of English county atlases.
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These maps (without the decorative borders) were first issued in 1821 in Miller's New Miniature Atlas. The plates were later acquired by William Darton who re-issued them as a miniature atlas, but also used the maps, now further embellished by country scenes, in this children's work. Reuben Ramble is an invented character. Original colour to the illustrations.