Britannia
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William Camden's famous "Britannia" with county maps constituting one ofthe earliest British county atlases. Folio. Engraved Tp, pp.[i] blank, Tp, pp.[i], pp.[x], pp.1-822, pp.1-233, pp.[lvi] with 57 uncoloured (with the exception of Somerset) copperplate engraved maps. Three-quarter calf (rebacked) with marbled boards a little rubbed. Contents in generally good condition; a few maps trimmed close, occasional pencil manuscript notations, one or two pages with minor tears (pp.104 lacking a small area of the lower margin). William Camden (1551-1623), English historian and antiquary, devoted himself to the study of Britain's antiquities, travelling round the country visiting sites. The result of his work "Britannia", was first published in 1586 and much augmented over the following two centuries. However, one of the few, but major, criticisms of this incredibly long-lived and popular work was the absence of maps. This failing was remedied in the sixth edition of 1607 for which maps were commissioned from William Kip and William Hole. Drawing on the surveys of Christopher Saxton, John Norden and the Anonymous/William Smith series, they produced this series of 57 maps. The maps are clearly engraved, many with decorative title cartouches and vignettes displaying ships and sea monsters, forming an attractive and popular series. In addition to their importance as being very early maps of the English and Welsh counties, plus Ireland and Scotland, they are, in many instances, the first separate delineations of several counties.
region: Atlases of the British Isles |
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