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VIRTUE, James S : [The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland]

James S. Virtue City Road and Ivy Lane, London, 1868

Quarto (270 x 195 mm. each), contemporary half calf, marbled paper boards, gilt and blind rules, spine with raised gilt decorated bands, ornate gilt and blind decorated compartments, gilt titles, marbled endpapers, light wear. With 68 chromolithographic county maps of England, Scotland and Wales.

The National Gazetteer was first issued in parts from 1863-68. The prospectus stated that the work would be completed in about 35 parts of 80 pages each, or in 12 Divisions at 7s. 6d. each. The first edition of the work is found in its 12 Divisions. It was advertised as being offered in 3 volumes also, this being it appears an Atlas volume. The state of the maps correspond with the 1868 issue. William Nightingale Hughes (1817-76) worked as a cataloguer at the British Museum on geography books from 1841-43. From 1863-75 he was a Professor of Geography at King’s College, London. The founder of the publishing firm was George Virtue (c.1793-1868) whose company records show Hughes as a supplier of plates. The maps here are attractive and of individual counties except for Scotland where they are grouped together in regions. Provenance: with bookseller's label of Thomas Ash, Chelsea, pasted inside upper cover. Beresiner (1983) p. 117; Carroll (1996) 126; Chubb (1927) 562.

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