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CLARKE, B : The British Gazetteer, Political, Commercial, Ecclesiastical, and Historical … Illustrated by a full set of county maps, with All the Railways accurately laid down; forming at once an iron road-book and county atlas

Published (for the proprietors) by H. G. Collins, Paternoster Row, London, 1852

Quarto, three volumes (250 x 170 mm. each), contemporary half calf, marbled paper boards, gilt ruled, spine with ornate blind raised bands, each compartment with ornate gilt decoration, with red calf gilt title and volume numbers, marbled endpapers. With engraved title pages to each volume, pp. vi, 783; (2), 768; (2), 1054, with 48 folding lithographic maps on 51 sheets, consisting of 2 folding general maps of England and Wales, 1 folding plan of Liverpool, 2 folding of London, large folding map of the Isle of Wight bound under 'N' for Newport, North and South Wales and 40 maps of the counties on 43 sheets and 31 steel engravings, one or two with binders tears, environs of London with larger binding tear, Surrey and Wiltshire wrinkled, otherwise in very good condition.

The first use of the plates in this series was in Robert Rowe’s 'English Atlas' published in 1816, of which only two examples survive. Rowe (c.1775-1843) is recorded as an engraver and it is possible that he was responsible for these plates. It was Henry Teesdale (fl.1828-45) however, who made the most use of the plates with the 'New British Atlas' being published from 1829 through to 1842. These were the last intaglio printings. Sometime prior to 1848 the plates were acquired by Henry George Collins (fl.1832-58). Teesdale became a partner in the Royal Bank of Australia and it is possible that this was the time at which they were disposed of.Collins’ early career in books included various partnerships, a bankruptcy in June 1839 and spending four months in jail for embezzlement in 1847. He then began map publishing, employing Anthony la Riviere as a lithographer. These maps were lithographed for issue in parts as 'The New British Atlas' in about 1848. The second work in which Collins employed the maps is this 'British Gazetteer'. The maps now include a decorative foliate border.The earlier general maps of Scotland and Ireland are not reused and there is a new general map of England and Wales recording the British Railroads, by now and extensive network. Three folding maps of Liverpool, London and the environs of the capital are added alongside a new large map of the Isle of Wight. It should be noted that the collation in Chubb is inaccurate, omitting the general maps, those of Oxford, Wiltshire and South Wales. He also records Yorkshire consisting of three sheets instead of two. Provenance: private English collection. Beresiner (1983); Chubb 534; Hyde (1975) 371.1; Kingsley (1982) 72; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).

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