Copperplate

Around 1599 Peter Van Den Keere began engraving a set of miniature British maps (based on Saxton). These were first published in Amsterdam in c1605. By 1619 the plates had passed to the London bookseller 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 original van den Keere plate for Worcestershire was retained but with the aforementioned amendments. Humble's first issue of the maps was in 1619. For his second edition of 1627 English text was added to the verso of the maps. All the maps are generally referred to as by Van den Keere, but Skelton doubts this attribution for the newly engraved versions. 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. A few spots. Repair to lower centrefold.

This map was first published in the May 1753 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 Worcestershire map is from the first complete edition of Boswell's Antiquities dating from c1789. Supplied mounted and with the original text page for the county.

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.

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.

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.

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. Some light brown staining beneath the top border..

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. There were several later editions by Jansson, and later isses by Schenk and Valk who acquired the plates in 1694. The Worcestershire map also covers Warwickshire. There is no text to verso of this example, which precludes more accurate dating to a specific edition. Top and bottom centrefold repairs, the former impinging c4cm within the border, but still a most attractive and desirable copy.

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. When separated this means individual maps will be trimmed to the border on one or two sides and are often re-margined for mounting and framing. The map of Worcestershire is re-margined on two sides and sold ready-mounted. The text pages for the county may be available on request at no extra charge.

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 Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The surrounding decorative border shows the typical produce and wares of the counties. Original outline colour

This was one of a set of county maps engraved by John Lodge and issued between 1787 and 1790 in The Political Magazine, and Parliamentary, Naval, Military and Literary Journal, published initially by John Murray, and later by R. Butters. The maps were subsequently collected together and re-issued as an atlas (without title page) around 1795. For this atlas edition the imprint with the publication date and engraver's and publisher's signatures was removed from the maps. This example is from the atlas edition. The maps are well engraved in the plainer style then coming into vogue. They are uncommon, and sought by collectors. A small pinhole.

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.

The idea for a new county atlas, with a large format bigger than any predecessor, was initiated in 1749 by John Hinton. For a variety of reasons, however, progress was slow. Maps were offered for individual sale as the printing plates were completed, but the series was not finished until 1760 when the atlas was finally published. All but a few of the maps were drawn and engraved by Emanuel Bowen and Thomas Kitchin. The atlas proved to be a commercial success, and a number of later editions were issued up to 1787. The Worcestershire map, engraved by Bowen, was first published in 1756. The presence of a centrefold, and the publishers' names on the imprint (Robert Sayer and Carington Bowles) date this example to an atlas edition of c1767. Original outline colour to the borders. Very minor repairs to a few short tears to the margins.