Price: £1,600.00

• Date: 1748
• Condition: AA
• Colour: Uncoloured.
• Size: 165 x 110 x 30mm

FULL TITLE:
Geographia Magnae Britanniae. Or, correct maps of all the Counties in England, Scotland, and Wales; with general ones of both Kingdoms,
and of the several adjacent Islands: Each map expressing the Cities, Boroughs, Market and Presbytery, Towns, Villages, Roads and Rivers;
with the no. of Members of Parliament; together with tables of the high and cross roads, market days.

Published according to Act of Parliament October 12th 1748

Printed for: S. Birt, I. Osborne, T. Osborne, A. Millar, D. Browne, I. Robinson, I. Hodges. Maps engraved by Hutchinson.

General Description

The book measures approx. 165 x 110 x 30mm. It has been rebound some time during the 20th century. The hollow-back binding consists
of half brown leather, with green cloth panels. The spine has five false raised bands and six panels, with leather spine labels on panels two
and five. The upper label has the words “Tour Thro. Gt. Britain” and the lower label “Maps”. The lettering on the labels has been gilded,
although this has worn off in places.

The condition of the text block appears to be original, with edges decorated in green spot marbling. Some of the bifolia have been closely
trimmed, mainly at the tail of the text block.

The endpapers are decorated in a mottled brown pattern. The decorative bifolio frontispiece, engraved by S. Wale, consists of an engraved
decorative plate displaying an extended title and the date of publication (in the lower margin). This is followed by the contents page.

The main body of the book is in three parts:

The first part (pages1 to 60) consists of 60 bifolia maps (mounted on guards) of the counties of England and Wales, as well as the isles of
Man and Scilly, and the Channel Islands. An interesting printing point is that the maps only show plate marks on two sides, so they were
printed four to a plate, which is unusual. Each map is numbered top right. The titles are within an ornamental framework.

The second part (pages 1 to 39) consists of 158 route descriptions for journeys and distances of travel, originating from London, as well as
cross-country journeys.

The final part is an alphabetical index of towns and cities which correspond with the journeys described in the second part of the book.
The index relates each place to one of the described routes, identifies the number of Members each place sends to Parliament, the county
and the distance from London in miles and furlongs.