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.
A small area of thin paper strengthened to verso at bottom left of cartouche.
G. Humble P. van den Keere England, Wales, Scotland & Ireland Describedand Abridged.... from a Farr Larger Volume by John Speed 1627-76
Uncoloured and in good condition. Around 1599 Peter Van Den Keere engraved a set of miniature British maps based on Saxton. By 1619 the plates had passed to George Humble, who revised them (changing Latin county names to English), but also engraved new plates to replace those counties grouped together on one map in the originals. The Nottingham map was one of these new additions. All the maps are generally referred to as by Van Den Keere, but Skelton doubts this attribution for the new maps. The atlas went through several later editions until 1676.
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 first Gibson edition of 1695. Repair to centrefold.
R. Morden Camden's Britannia 1695-1772 (1695)
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 one of the Gibson editions. Some loss and restoration in pen facsimile to right and left hand borders. Repaired tear just impinging on top border. Priced accordingly.
With descriptive text below and to verso. 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.
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, this example being from the first edition of 1720.
This small county atlas of England and Wales was first issued in 1748 by a consortium of 7 publishers who also had a stake in the publication of Daniel Defoe's Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain. It was advertised as a companion volume to Defoe's work, or as a pocket atlas in its own right. Thomas Hutchinson's name appears as the engraver on 2 maps, but the rest are unsigned and may be by a variety of hands. They are sometimes also known as Osborne/Wale maps. There was a second edition in 1756. Faint ex-library blindstamp to top 2 corners.
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 Northumberland on the reverse.
J. Cary Camden's Britannia 1806 (1789)
Camden's Britannia was first published in 1586. County 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. Repair to short tear along fold, but not impinging the printed area.
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 Nottinghamshire 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.
James Pigot & Co's county maps were issued in their British Atlas (from c1829), in several of their national and local business directories (from 1826 for the "home counties", at least), and singly in folding form as travelling maps. They were amongst the first maps to be printed from steel instead of copper plates, allowing more accurate fine detail and less wear to the plates over time. Atlas and directories went through several editions up to around 1857, later editions from 1846 being re-named Slater's New British Atlas, with imprints changed accordingly. Original outline colour.
Original full colour, and in very good condition. The Greenwoods surveyed all the counties from 1817-33 for their beautifully engraved county atlas finally published in 1834. Maps were also sold singly as produced. The Nottinghamshire map is corrected to 1831, and this example was sold in atlas format.
Thomas Moule's antiquarian leanings are evident in this series of highly decorative county maps - a stylistic throwback in an age when cartographic work had become much plainer and more utilitarian. The maps were engraved by W. Smollinger, J. Bingley and J. Dower, and first appeared in Moule's English Counties Delineated, a partwork with text issued from 1830-32. They were subsequently made available as a complete work in 1837 under the same title, and were later re-issued in Barclay's Universal English Dictionary between 1842 and 1852. This latter work ran to several editions and the maps were often updated between editions to show the latest growth of the railway network.This example is from the 1848 issue of Barclay's Dictionary. Modern colour.
J. Duncan A Complete County Atlas of England and Wales 1840-45 (1825)
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.
The Walker's British Atlas was first issued in 1837, and ran to many subsequent editions with frequent updates to railways and other information. This example is from the editions of 1854 or 1856 - so dated from the railways shown, the publisher's imprints, and the population figures quoted. Full wash colour.
These maps first appeared in Rowe's English Atlas of 1816, being subsequently acquired by a succession of later publishers and used in a variety of their works. They were modified and updated during this time. This example is the second lithographic transfer for Clarke's British Gazetteer, published in 1852 by H.G. Collins. Folded to fit the volume.
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, and in good condition. Supplied mounted, and ready to frame.
T. Murray An Atlas of the English Counties 1830
The title page of Murray's county atlas states that the maps were "Projected on the basis of the Trigonometrical Survey by order of the hon.ble The Board of Ordnance, under the superindendance of T.L. Murray". This might seem to imply the project had at least the official blessing, if not the active involvement of the Ordnance Survey, but is more likely to be a marketing puff. D. Hodson has suggested that the maps were copied from those of William Ebden published from 1825-8, both sets also being engraved by the same firm of Hoare & Reeves. Murray's Atlas was first published in 1830, with second and third editions in 1831 and 1832, the latter with the adddition of electoral data. by 1838 the plates had been acquired by W. Robson & Co. who published and sold the maps individually, and also used them in their commercial directories. This example is from the first edition of 1830. Original colour.
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.
T. Kitchin The Antiquities of England and Wales c1789 (1751)
This map was first published in the May 1751 edition of the London Magazine, which between 1747 and 1754 issued a complete set of English county maps by Thomas Kitchin. The maps were later re-published by Alexander Hogg in Boswell's Antiquities of England & Wales, initially in partwork from c 1787-9, and then in several complete editions of the work up to 1798. This example of the Nottinghamshire map is from the first complete edition of Boswell's Antiquities dating from c1789. Slight browning to LH white margin. Mounted.
C. Smith New English Atlas 1828/1833 (1822)
In 1822 Charles Smith issued a county atlas with maps based on his larger county maps which had been in circulation for over 20 years. The new maps were smaller in scale, but the atlas bore the same title as that in which his larger maps appeared. They are clearly drawn and engraved, but although there were several editions of the atlas, they are today amongst the rarer of the 18th century county maps. This example is from the edition of 1828 or 1833, in which the maps have no date in the imprint, but before railways were added for the edition of 1844. Original outline colour. Supplied mounted and ready to frame.
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 is from the 1830 second edition of Teesdale's atlas. Original wash colour. A repaired, marginal tear, not affecting the printed area.
Newstead Abbey & Ruins in Nottingham Park. The Antiquities of England and Wales was the product of Alexander Hogg who was well known as a partwork publisher. Under the claimed authorship of Henry Boswell it was issued serially from c1787-9, and subsequently made available as a complete work. The format was typically 2 (though sometimes up to 6) prints to a page, with one or two accompanying pages of descriptive text on each pair of subjects. It also included the set of English county maps by Thomas Kitchin first used in the London Magazine from 1747-54. Newstead Abbey was founded in 165 as an Augustinian Priory. After the dissolution of the monasteries the site passed to the Byron family in 1540, and was converted to a country house. By the time it was inherited by Lord Byron, the estate and house was much declined, and financial problems forced him to sell it in 1818. It is today owned by Nottingham Corporation who open it to the public. The "Ruins" described in the print, are part of Nottingham's system of over 500 caves, cut into the sandstone underlying the city. The earliest of the caves date back to to the late 13th century, and over the years they have served as cellars, a tannery, homes and air-raid shelters. Today some are open as a visitor attraction under the title "City of Caves". This print, engraved by Roberts, offers two views and is supplied with the original, accompanying text from the work.
Author not known. Picturesque Europe c1875/6
In Sherwood Forest. Picturesque Europe was a serialised partwork, designed as a showcase for steel and wood engravings after and by significant artists of the day. The 60 parts were published monthly from 1875 to 1880.When sets of parts were completed, they were also sold as complete volumes, building to a full 5-volume set, 2 volumes of which were devoted to the British Isles.This wood-cut print, engraved by J.W. Whymper, shows a scene in Sherwood Forest, and appeared in Part 6 of the work. Today's forest occupies c423 hectares, and is a smaller and more fragmented area than that once taken up by the Royal Hunting Forest. It lies to the north of the city of Nottingham, and is most famous for its association with the Robin Hood legend. Part of the forest is now a Country Park, with public access, and part a National Nature Reserve.