One half of a map depicting the region of Siena in Italy. This map was first published in the Latin edition of Abraham Ortelius' 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' in 1573, the first modern atlas of the world. It is derived from the map of Cesare Orlandi in 1573, which in itself if probably drawn from Claudio Duchetti's undated earlier map. This example bears Spanish text to the verso and appeared in the 1588 edition. Van den Broecke, M. 137; Meurer pp. 210-11.

This map of Silesia is derived from that of Martin Helwig (1516-74) published in 1561 as stated in the title. It survives in just the one known example at the Badische Landesbibliothek, Karlsruhe, Germany. Helwig was a native of Silesia being born in Neisse, his diary survives in the University Library of Wroclaw. It is present day south western Poland and displays both Crakaw(Krakow) in the east and Breslaw (Wroclaw) in the centre. This Abraham Ortelius version was first published in the initial edition of the 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' in 1570. This example was issued in the Spanish text edition of 1588 with the pagination 54 to the verso. Karrow p. 38.1; Meurer p. 163; Van den Broecke, M. #102.

This map of Transilvania is derived from that of Sambucus 1566 itself drawn from Honter in 1532. This example with Latin text to the verso is from the first 1580 edition. Within five years of first publication Ortelius had to replace the plate with this one. This is a fine example of the first state of four. The map extends to cover parts of Poland, Slovakia, Romania & Hungary. Karrow 65/1 pp. 459-60; Meurer p. 226; Van den Broecke, M. #153.1.

In 1584 Abraham Ortelius introduced a new map to his ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’. It was his first of the Spanish region of Valencia in recognition of its importance in Mediterranean trade. Van den Broecke states that at the time he published his work in 1996, only three examples from this plate were known! However, since he drew attention to it a few more have surfaced. He now concludes that it was in print for the editions through that in Latin in 1592. This is an example of its very first issue in the 1584 Latin edition without pagination on the verso. It was replaced by an entirely new plate for the 1595 edition with flourishing lettering for the Mediterranean Sea. The map is engraved in the typical style of Ortelius with ornate strapwork cartouches and stipple engraved sea. Numerous villages and towns are identified with an extensive network of rivers. The whole is embellished with a sailing ship and a galley. The map is oriented with north to the right. Van den Broecke (1996) no. 29; not in Karrow, Koeman or Meurer.

FIRST GERMAN EDITION. An attractive bordered map depicting the region of Westphalia, Germany, extending from Cologne in the right to Bremen and Emden in the left or north. This map was first published in Abraham Ortelius' 'Theatrum Orbis Terrarum' in 1579, the first modern atlas of the world. This example with German text is from the first edition in that language published in 1580. It is derived from a manuscript map by Christian Sgroten from 1565. Van den Broecke, M. 91; Meurer pp. 132-3.

In the London Evening Post for 21-23 July 1747 was an advert stating that 'Now Engraving, In a beautiful Manner, and of proper Size to carry in the Pocket, or to bind with the Tour … A Complete Set of Maps of all the Counties in England, Scotland, and Wales … on a larger Scale than any Pocket Map hitherto publish’d'. The ‘Tour’ referred to the well known book by Daniel Defoe of the period, it was partly owned by the same publishers. There appears to have been a minor delay in the first issue as it was not advertised as being complete until the General Evening Post of 8-10 November 1748. Despite naming Scotland the two were made available separately and we may normally find England and Wales together, as in this example which was originally priced at 6s. Numerous adverts were placed in the ensuing months and no doubt this was due to the competition of Thomas Badeslade & William Toms’ Chorographia Britanniae and the Thomas Kitchin and Thomas Jeffery’s Small English Atlas.Traditionally the atlas has been ascribed to Thomas Osborne. Although the names of seven publishers appear on the title page, no clear attribution is made. Often the size of the share in the work indicated their principal listing in the order of names. The first named is Samuel Birt who died in November 1755. A second edition appeared soon after in which the first named is Thomas Osborne who appeared as the second named in this edition. Therefore the work has commonly been called Osborne’s. He was also ‘the most celebrated bookseller of his day’ (Dibdin). Osborne had inherited a considerable booksellers and publishers business from his father of the same name in Gray’s Inn. It appears though that this brought with it an unfortunate air. Marston wrote that ‘to his inferiors he generally spoke with an authoritative and insolent manner’.The maps of England and Wales and Gloucestershire in the atlas are signed by Thomas Hutchinson (fl.1733-54) as engraver and although there are similarities in style with the remainder of the maps, Hodson does not believe he was responsible for them all. Chubb (1927) 190; ESTC T151875; Hodson (1984-97) 205; Shirley (2004) T.Hut 1a; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).

It is conceivable that this one final plate was already in production by Sutton Nicholls when Henry Overton acquired the John Speed plates from Christopher Browne around 1713. Dated 1714 it stands out from the balance which can be dated to 1711 and 1712. The exact reason for the delay remains speculation. A superb plan of the town of Nottingham is inserted upper left with a description of the county including a note of the roads below. Although the map is derived from the Robert Morden of 1695 the plan of Nottingham is from an unknown source. Hodson states that it is not drawn from that of Thoroton, 1677. He goes on to speculate that if it was indeed a new survey it may provide the reason for the delay.John Overton (1640-1713) was the son of a bookseller Henry Overton and married the daughter of the publisher William Garrett. He was a printseller who in 1665 acquired the stock of Peter Stent who died of the plague that year and who had arguably the largest collection of prints on the market at the time. Amongst this stock he found twelve copper plates of the English counties by William Smith. These formed the nucleus of a set of maps of the English Counties. Overton commissioned the engraving of some new plates for missing counties; amongst them is one of Berkshire by the great engraver Wenceslaus Hollar. Those counties which Overton could not provide from his own stock were supplied by the acquired maps of Speed, Blaeu or Jansson. These county atlases were an English version of a rich seam of similar Dutch composite atlases published from the mid-seventeenth century. They are exceedingly rare surviving in just four known examples. Later atlases sold by his son Henry are similarly rare, only seven survive. Until about 1711 both John and Henry Overton had been content to acquire the plates of Jansson and others to fill in the missing counties in their supply. Most of those of Blaeu had been lost in the disastrous fire of 1672. Quite probably around 1711 the plates of Jansson were acquired by David Mortier who possibly stopped supplying the Overton firm. This forced Henry to engrave maps of those missing counties. He employed the services of Sutton Nicholls who promptly produced five maps between 1711 and 1712. Production was halted when in about 1713 fortune gave Henry the opportunity to acquire the old John Speed plates from Christopher Browne.

In 1715 Philip Overton published a rare two-sheet map of Oxfordshire. No other county followed until 1726 when in partnership with Thomas Bowles he published a reduction of the John Warburton, Joseph Bland and Payler Smyth survey of Middlesex and the neighbouring home counties of Essex and Hertfordshire undertaken 1721 to 1724. This had been published in the previous year 1725. It supplied a burgeoning market for more accurate maps than those of Christopher Saxton, John Norden, William Smith or John Speed which were now over a century old. Although the plate was extant until at least 1795 when it appeared in the catalogue of Bowles and Carver the fact that it was separately published accounts for the poor survival. It is mainly those examples preserved in composite atlases over the years which have survived. Despite covering three counties its size enables a good level of detail at half an inch to the mile. Upper left the map is adorned with a town plan of St. Alban’s and upper right is a fine ‘North Prospect of Colchester’. Provenance: private English collection since the 1970s. Hodson (1974) p. 227; Hodson (1984-97) I pp. 166-8; Rodger (1972) 118; Tooley Essex in ‘The Map Collector’ no. 36 p. 36 E22.

FIRST EDITION SECOND ISSUE of Emanuel Bowen’s 'Britannia Depicta'. Bowen was one of the most prominent figures in English cartography during the middle of the eighteenth century. In 1720, he co-published with John Owen the 'Britannia Depicta or Ogilby Improv’d'. It was an instant success running to numerous editions over the next 50 years. Hodson in his detailed study of the atlas concluded that there were six different editions bearing the title page dated 1720. The first can however be broken into three further variants, only two of which Hodson identified. This is an example of the second (first recorded) issue with the variant coat of arms on p. 94 altered to reflect those of Newton in Hampshire, not Newton in Lancashire. The first two both lack the numbers to the Rapes on the map of Sussex itself, they are shown in the key only. Provenance: private English collection. Bennett (1996) pp. 40-1; Harley (1970); Hodson (1984-97) 149; Kingsley (1982) 23.1; Shirley (2004) T.Bow 1a issue not cited.

Emanuel Bowen (1693?-1767)was one of the most prominent figures in English cartography during the middle of the eighteenth century. Since the highly influential 'Britannia' by John Ogilby had been first published in 1675 no smaller version had been issued. Then in the period 1718-20 a flush of four projects were conceived, three of which were completed. In 1720 Owen and Bowen’s 'Britannia Depicta or Ogilby Improv'd' was published. This was unquestionably the most successful. It is the only one of the three to include a set of county maps with the road strips. The author of the text was John Owen an antiquarian who had been admitted to the Middle Temple in 1718. Although known as the Owen and Bowen atlas it was in fact published jointly by Bowen and John Bowles (1701-79). It had a long life running to numerous editions; this is an example of the 1736 issue. This edition was also available for a while. Hodson identified 3 issues, this being an example of the first with the preliminary leaves bearing signatures A and A2 with the catchword on the first of LONDON. Provenance: manuscript inscription on verso of plate 273 dated April 16, 1799; over an earlier inscription of James Forrest; private English collection. Bennett (1996) pp. 40-1; Carroll (1996) 23; Chubb (1927) 153; Harley (1970) Introduction to 'Britannia Depicta'; Hodson (1984-97) 159; Shirley (2004) T.Bow 1i.