A list and brief history of London Atlases
INTRODUCTION
This website is focused on late Victorian to early 20th century London
because that is when my ancestors lived there and maps and books of
this period are out of copyright and not all of them are prohibitively
expensive or impossible to obtain. But I have looked at what happened
before as a part of understanding that period and list atlases produced
up to the 1960's.
In 1791 the Board of the Ordnance Survey began to map England using
scientific methods, since when and arguably still, the UK has the most
accurate printed maps available. No map is (or can be) 100% accurate,
as anyone who has tried to follow a Google map printout home from
Leeds, or find their rented holiday villa in Spain using a locally
purchased map, can verify. In 1898, J.G.Bartholomew complained in the
introduction to the first edition of his magnificent Citizen's Atlas of
the World that " ...almost the whole of Europe has been mapped by its
various States in beautiful and elaborate detail. Turkey, and its
neighbours in the Balkan Peninsula, alone rest in a state of
geographical torpor and inactivity, and in Spain, although there is
progress, yet it is characteristically slow".
Many London street maps are based on the Ordnance Survey's work with
more, or less, original ground work and information gathering but Hyde
(see below) is scathing about the accuracy or antiquated nature of some
that claimed to be new or up-to-date. He also remarks that the use of
the word "Ordnance" in the title of a map is no guarantee of anything.
I do not list or use any that are not produced by reputable
cartographers, even though some are motivated more by profit than a
love of the subject.
The two best known works that discuss and catalogue London maps are :-
"Printed Maps of London circa 1553-1850" by Ida Darlington and James
Howgego, Philip, 1964 and
"Printed Maps of Victorian London 1851-1900" by Ralph Hyde, Wm. Dawson
& Sons Ltd, 1975
I can highly recommend "London in Maps" by Philippa Glanville, The
Connoisseur, 1972, a more general work with many illustrations.
Beautifully produced, it covers the whole subject up until 1971.
Ironically, she ends the book by expressing the opinion that the
vitality of the city is due to the persistence of its wholesale
markets, all of which have since moved elsewhere.
All three works concentrate on sheet maps. I am more concerned with
London atlases, pocket sized, like an A-Z and up to the larger
reference works, "library atlases". I find these easier to use, they
all have an index and do not split and fall to pieces, losing
information at every fold. Best of all, by virtue of their structure,
they lend themselves to scanning and electronic reproduction.
If you want to look at the history of roads in general the finest work
I have found is "The Highways and Byways of England - Their History and
Romance" by T.W.Wilkinson, Iliffe and Sons Ltd., 1898. Here is the
closing sentence of this remarkably prophetic book. "A pleasing vista
thus opens out - a vista of a transformed countryside, of the decline
of railways, of their relegation to very fast and very heavy traffic,
of the road as the dominating feature in internal communication and as
the greatest factor in the affairs of the nation."
Charles G. Harper produced a series of fascinating books on the history of various British roads, all illustrated with old prints and his own charming drawings.
The, sometimes ferocious, rate of change to London's streets is
discussed briefly on
this page and I have produced a time line of events from the
introduction of Postal Districts in 1857 to the abolition of the County
of London in 1965 as an aid
to dating London Maps of this period. Below this History is a
list of London Atlases
that are known to me. If anyone has information to add please contact me.
HISTORY of LONDON ATLASES
The first reference to a London Atlas I can find is in 1720. "An Atlas
of London, containing a general map and thirty-six maps of the Wards,
Parishes and Liberties, with twenty-five views of the principal
institutions and buildings." Based upon an earlier survey by William
Leybourn and Richard Blome. Published by A. Churchill and J. Knapton
The first Victorian library atlas was James Wyld's "An Atlas of London
and its Environs" published in about 1849. The first A-Z style pocket
atlas was Henry George Collins' "Illustrated Atlas of London with 7,000
References in 36 plates of the principal routes between St. Paul’s and
the suburbs, from a survey made expressly for this work, by R. Jarman",
first published in 1854. The plates were sold to Thomas Hodgson who
re-issued it as "London at a Glance" in 1859. In 1857 the Post office
issued a second edition of "Principal streets and places in London and
its environs", printed by George E. Eyre & William
Spottiswoode. This edition contained one folding and ten single page
maps of the newly introduced Postal Districts.
Judging by the amount of information provided on the subject, the main
purpose of Victorian pocket folding maps was to avoid being overcharged
by unscrupulous Cab drivers. Various ingenious methods of measurement
were used including attached tape measures, grids, circles and tables.
The introduction of Taximeters in 1907 reduced the effort needed to
calculate the correct fare but the practice of including official rates
continued for many years. In contrast, the main purpose of an atlas is
to find your way around or to have a guide to interesting places.
London, as hub of Empire and the largest City the world had ever seen,
was besieged by tourists. They travelled there in ways unimaginable only
two generations before, on time-tabled Steamships and on reliable
Railways. They were eager for information and even locals would be hard
pressed to negotiate the ever expanding network of overground and
underground railways without a current map and guide.
Guide books, such as those produced by Ward Lock, Collins, Muirhead or
Black etc., are not included, interesting as they are, because they
contain few maps. There are many, folding, pocket or waistcoat maps but
very few new atlases were produced after 1857 for nearly 30 years. By
the closing years of the nineteenth century London had become so large
and travel options so complex that mapping it on one sheet at a
reasonable scale made for a very unwieldy document. Atlases start to
come into their own.
The "District Railway Guide to London" became "Boot's District Guide"
with at least eight editions between 1888 and 1898 and then vanishes.
Philips' Handy-Volume Atlas of the County of London was first issued in
1891. Imitators followed. In the 1880's G.W.Bacon produced various
editions of a library atlas of 4 inch or 9 inch (or sometimes both)
scale maps with a variety of supplemental pages depending on the target
audience. Then, in about 1894, he produced his first pocket "Up-to-Date Atlas
& Guide". Philips' ABC Pocket Atlas-Guide to London appeared in
1902 and Bartholomew's Handy Reference Atlas of London &
Suburbs in 1908. The Geographia Authentic Atlas & Guide to
London & Suburbs arrived in 1922 with what became the market
leader, the Geographers' A to Z Atlas to London, being first published
in 1936.
Atlases seem to be the poor relation of the cartographic world, almost
ignored by collectors. Although some are dismantled and individual
pages framed, not many are hung on a wall as works of art. However they
cannot be beaten for convenience and ease of use if you are trying to
find a particular street. All maps are fascinating to me and I consider
many atlases to be beautiful as well.
As far as I am aware there is no catalogue of London atlases so I have
started to compile the following list. The information comes from my
own collection, the British Museum and Guildhall Library collections
and various auctions and bookshops. Geographers A-Z maps are the
hardest to date and find as they do not even have an edition number.
Like me, I suspect most people scribble all over them and buy a new one
every few years, throwing the old one away.
LIST
of LONDON ATLASES
This is very much a work in
progress, not a definitive list, entries will be added or
amended as and when. As mentioned above, contributions of additional
information are welcome.
Every scrap of available information is included because sometimes just
knowing the cover price or the address of the publisher can help
sequence an edition.
The main publishers of long running series are Bacon,
Bartholomew, Philips', Geographers' Map Co. and Geographia. I have included a
potted biography/history of each. There are some others
at the end of the list, including significant series published under
different imprints or smaller series by the main publishers.
George Washington Bacon
(1830-1922) an American was a prolific map maker. Amongst his other
enterprises he wrote medical booklets and sold sewing machines and
portable gymnasiums. He went bankrupt in 1867 but opened again in 1870
at 127 Strand and soon prospered.
From 1883 until at least 1918, maybe later, he published a series of thick Library
Atlases under various titles such as
Bacon's New Large Scale
Ordnance Atlas of London and Suburbs
Bacon’s New Ordnance Survey Atlas of London and Suburbs
Bacon’s New Ordnance Atlas of London and Suburbs
Bacon's New Large-Scale Atlas of London
These contain either or both 4 inch and 9 inch scale maps, a street
index and various and varying supplemental maps, often with a "copious
letterpress". Ralph Hyde describes these atlases as "a nightmare for
the bibliographer whose hope it was to describe their contents
methodically." So I will leave it at that, save to say that the level of
detail is a joy to behold.
Bacon never produced 'the best map', he always sold 'the cheapest'. I have recently seen several early editions of these atlases overprinted with postal district numbering. Therefore, they must have been printed after 1917, when numbering was introduced.
Be careful when you look at examples of his maps and atlases on eBay. Sometimes it is possible to pick up an early 'Up to Date' for £10, (or less in poor condition) which might sell for £30 on another day, or a large atlas could go for £150, when you could buy a much earlier edition elsewhere for £50.
Bacon's Up to Date Atlas and
Guide
Small Paperback with Blue Cloth
Cover and rounded corners
(some fade over time to Grey or Green)
Several visitors have contibuted useful additions to this list, including Robin, who sent photographs of the 1894 edition showing the cover in light brown, with the title in blue.
The title on the first two editions is The Up To Date Pocket Atlas & Guide To London. The spine on early editions reads Pocket Atlas of London, changing in about 1913 to Bacon's Atlas of
London and again after WW2 to Bacon's
Atlas & Guide to London.
1894 20 maps with guide 1/- 127 Strand
1896 20 maps with guide 1/- 127 Strand
1904 20 maps with guide and photo views 1/- 127 Strand
1906 20 maps with guide and photo views 1/- 127 Strand
1907 20 maps with guide and photo views 1/- 127 Strand
"Showing Latest Tubes"
1910 20 maps with guide and photo views 1/- 127 Strand
"Showing Latest Tubes" Red lettering on cover.
c 1913 28 maps with guide and photo views 1s 3d 127 Strand
"Showing Latest Tubes"
c 1915 26 maps with guide and photo views 1s 9d 127 Strand
"Showing Latest Tubes"
c 1919 26 maps with guide and photo views 2/- 127 Strand
"Showing Latest Tubes"
c 1920 26 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
"Showing Latest Tubes"
c 1923 34 maps 2/- Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
"New and Enlarged edition" "Showing Latest Tubes"
1928 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
"Enlarged (1928) edition"
1929 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
"Enlarged (1929) edition"
c 1930 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
c 1932 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
1933 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
Includes notes on formation of London Passenger Transport Board
c 1938 45 maps 2s 6d Norwich Street, Fetter Lane
Includes List of Streets renamed by LCC Jan 1936 – May 1938
1947 43 maps 6/- 30 Museum Street, WC1
1948 43 maps 6s 6d 30 Museum Street, WC1
Includes a reference to newly formed London Transport
c 1950 43 maps 6s 6d 30 Museum Street, WC1
c 1956 43 maps 7s 6d 30 Museum Street, WC1
Then became
Bacon’s Atlas of London and
Street Index.
Published by W. & A. K. Johnson & G. W. Bacon
Hardback size with soft cover
(plastic wallet on deluxe editions)
First Enlarged edition 1959 7s 6d 47 Maps
Reprinted 1960
Second edition 1963
Reprinted 1968
George Bartholomew
(1784-1871) from Edinburgh started the worlds foremost map dynasty by
training as an engraver. His son John (senior) (1805-1861) became a map
engraver. John (Junior) (1831-1893) earned a reputation for accurate
and painstaking cartography, printing his own maps. The fourth
generation under the inspired leadership of John George (1860-1920)
produced a huge range of maps and atlases. He named his office "The
Edinburgh Geographical Institute" and became the Cartographer Royal.
John (1890-1962) introduced offset litho printing presses and devised
innovative projections to show improved spatial relationships for
air-age geography. The last generation to run the firm, John, Peter and
Robert eventually sold it to Readers Digest in 1980 who re-sold it to
News International in 1985 which set up Harper Collins. Their
cartographic imprint, Collins Bartholomew, now sells reproduction
prints of many historic Bartholomew maps.
Address of Bartholomew's Edinburgh premises
1859 - 1870 4a North Street
1870 - c 1875 17 Brown's Square
c 1875 - 1889 31 Chambers Street
1889 - 1911 Park Road
1911 - 1995 12 Duncan Road
Bartholomew's Handy Reference
Atlas of London & Suburbs
Thin Red Hardback covering a
wide area
Some printings of the first edition are not dated and some are not
priced
First edition 1908 2s 6d 64 Plates 68 page index
Second edition 1913 2s 6d 64 Plates 68 page index
Third edition 1917 64 Plates 68 page index
Fourth edition 1921 6s 64 Plates 68 page index
Fifth edition 1925 6s 80 Plates 74 page index
Sixth edition 1930 6s 80 Plates 134 page index
Then became
Bartholomew's Reference Atlas
of Greater London
Thick Red or Blue Hardback
covering a wider area
Seventh edition 1940 128 Plates 264 page index (Red)
specially extended by Aerial Survey
Eighth edition 1948 130 Plates 264 page index (Red)
provisionally revised
Ninth edition 1954 156 Plates 324 page index (Blue)
Tenth edition 1957 42/- 156 Plates 324 page index (Blue)
Eleventh edition 1961 50/- 156 Plates 300 page index (Blue)
Twelfth edition 1963 50/- 156 Plates 300 page index (Blue)
Thirteenth (last) edition 1968 164 Plates 337 page index (Red)
George Philip
(1800-1882) born in Aberdeenshire, started his first map selling
business in Liverpool in 1834. His son, also George (1823-1902) joining
the firm in 1848. They did not survey and engrave their own maps,
instead using cartographers such as Bartholomew. His name is still used
on a huge range of street atlases produced by the Octopus Publishing
Group, with the apostrophe now moved before the s.
Published from 32 Fleet Street between at least 1896 and 1930
Philips' ABC Pocket Atlas-Guide
to London
Small Paperback, more guide
than atlas. Some are green and yellow, others red. Later editions are
larger, more atlas than guide and yellow/tan.
First "Coronation" edition 1902
Second "Coronation" edition 1903
Third Revised edition 1905
Forth Revised edition 1908
Fifth edition c 1910
Seventh Revised edition c 1915 1/- 25 maps Strangers guide &
Photo views
Eighth Revised edition c 1917 1s 6d 25 maps Strangers guide &
Photo views
Tenth Revised edition c 1920 25 maps Strangers guide & Photo
views (With New Postal Areas)
Eleventh Revised edition c 1921
Twelfth edition 1923 25 maps, gazetteer etc.
Thirteenth Revised edition 1924 (Includes a Plan of the British Empire
Exhibition)
Fourteenth Revised edition
Fifteenth Revised edition c 1930 25 maps gazetteer etc.
Sixteenth Revised and Enlarged edition 1934
The Sixteenth was also issued
in a "Centenary Edition" as a slightly larger red hardback with 31
sectional maps. Including for the first time the "Outer Districts" as
far as Stanmore, Ilford, Chislehurst and Thames Ditton.
Seventeenth Revised and Improved edition c 1937
Then became
Philips' ABC Pocket Atlas-Guide
to London and its Outer Districts
Eighteenth & improved edition, containing new enlarged maps of Central London c. 1938
Nineteenth edition with New Enlarged Street Plans c 1939
Twentieth edition c 1950
Twenty-first & improved edition, containing new enlarged maps
of central London c 1951
See G.I. Barnett & Son,
below
Philips' Handy-Volume Atlas of
the County of London
Small Red Hardback
First edition 1891
Second edition 1896 55 sectional maps 12 special maps
Third edition 1902
Forth Revised and Enlarged edition 1904
Eighth and Revised edition c 1918 55 sectional maps 13 special maps
Index t0 15,000 places
Ninth and
Enlarged edition c 1922 64 sectional maps 13 special maps
Index to 16,500 places
The ninth (? last) edition was designed so that some of the special
maps, including Railways and Cinemas, could be over printed in red. My
copy has these updated to 1929 although the sectional maps remain
unchanged.
The Geographers' Map Company
was founded by Phyllis Pearsall (1906-1996), the daughter of Alexander
Gross, in 1936 after she famously got lost going to a party. She is
often wrongly credited with inventing the pocket London atlas. What she
did is take an existing good idea, improving its usability and accuracy
so that it became the best seller. It was also cheaper and lighter than
most rival products, being printed in black and white on thin paper.
The company continues to make a large range of excellent maps, atlases
and electronic mapping products. In particular, the Greater London A-Z for iPad is an absolute joy to use.
Geographers' A to Z Atlas to
London
Paperback with distinct typeface
1936 First edition
1939 1/- Index of 23,000 places 24-27 High Holborn
None published during the war
Post-war editions printed in Holland until the move to Kent in 1962
1948 2s 6d Index of 27,000 places 24-27 High Holborn
1950 2s 6d Index of 27,900 Streets etc. 24-27 High Holborn
1956 3s 6d Index to over 30,000 Streets etc. 28 Gray's Inn Road
1962 3s 6d Index to over 30,000 Streets etc. Vestry Road, Sevenoaks,
Kent
New typeface, cover Red White and Blue. Underground map now on rear of
cover.
In 1972 became Geographers' A-Z
Map Co. Ltd.
Geographers' Atlas of Greater
London
Thick Red Hardback
First edition 1947-48 edited by A Gross
Second edition 1956
Third edition 1959
Forth edition 1963 edited by P Pearsall
Fifth edition 1964 now called Geographers' London Atlas. Includes new GLC borough boundaries
Sixth edition c. 1971
Seventh edition c. 1973
Eighth edition c. 1975
In 1967 the first edition of
Master Atlas of Greater London
Large Blue Hardback, now softback or spiral bound
Early editions are not dated, still on sale today, currently on edition 18 (2022)
Geographia Ltd.,
was founded in 1911 by the Hungarian Alexander Gross (1879-1958).
Originally "Geographia" Designing & Publishing Co. Ltd., of 33
Strand the firm produced street maps of towns and cities all over the
world until being absorbed by Collins Bartholomew in about 1987. From
1923 to at least 1925 the company was called "Geographia (1923) Ltd.".
Some of their maps use a code where the letters in CUMBERLAND
correspond to the numerals 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 in the format MM.YY e.g.
E.MC = 5.31 = May 1931. This is usually found in the bottom left hand
corner of the first map in an atlas.
Geographia Authentic Atlas
& Guide to London & Suburbs
Medium Paperback sized
Blue Limp Cover 2s 6d, Red Cloth Boards 3s 6d, De Luxe Edition 6/-
First edition c 1922
1923 71 sectional maps plus plans, guide and index
"Geographia (1923) Ltd.", 55 Fleet Street
1927 72 sectional maps plus plans, guide and index
"Geographia" Ltd., 55 Fleet Street
1936 72 sectional maps plus plans, guide and index
"Geographia" Ltd., 55 Fleet Street
1937 88 sectional maps plus plans, guide and index
"Geographia" Ltd., 55 Fleet Street
(Geographia) Authentic Map
Directory of London
Large Green Library Atlas in
card slip case or plastic slip cover
1925 First edition "Geographia (1923)" Ltd., 55 Fleet Street
1929 Second edition "Geographia" Ltd., new and revised, 55 Fleet Street
1932 Third edition "Geographia" Ltd., revised and enlarged, 50/- 55
Fleet Street
1936 Fourth (last prewar) edition "Geographia" Ltd., 50/- 55 Fleet
Street
1964 First (only) post-war edition published as Geographia London Map
Directory 114 Fleet Street
(Geographia) A1 Guide and Atlas
to London and Outer Suburbs
Soft Paperback. Prewar
editions contained a folding, coloured "pictorial map"
Early editions Pink and Black then Red and White with some editions
Red, White and Blue
1935 1/- 55 Fleet Street
1937 1/- Coronation Edition 55 Fleet Street
Becomes A1 Atlas of London and
Outer Suburbs
c1942 1/- The War Time edition 167 Fleet Street
1951 2s 6d Latest Revised edition 167 Fleet Street 256pp
3s 6d Tenth Latest Revised edition 167 Fleet Street 256pp
A1 dropped from title
c 1959 256pp
c 1965 256pp
Geographia Greater London Atlas
Thick Hardback
First to Fourth editions 55 Fleet Street 6/-
Fifth new and revised edition 1937 7s 6d
Eighth edition c1950 12s 6d
Ninth edition 12s 6d
Tenth new and revised edition 143 sectional maps 114 Fleet Street
Eleventh edition 1964 Revised and Extended 210 sectional maps 114 Fleet Street
Other Atlases
ABC Guide to London. Chas.
Baker & Co. Ltd.
also A.B.C or A-B-C or Chas. Baker & Co's. Stores Ltd.
Soft Paperback. A
hybrid guide with sectional and fold out maps produced primarily as an
advertisement for his clothing stores with the Head Office in High
Holborn and expanding between about 1864 and 1939 to at least eight
other stores. They contain many fascinating illustrations of late
Victorian and Edwardian men's fashions.
1882 and 1887 edition of the folding map sold separately in the shops
at 1d
1890 edition 15 sectional maps and one fold out map
1893 edition 16 sectional maps and one fold out map
1897-98 edition 3d 16 sectional maps and one fold out map
1905 edition 3d 16 sectional maps and 1 fold out map of the environs of
London 98 page guide and many advertisements
1914 edition 3d 16 sectional maps and 1 fold out map of the environs of
London
Bacon's "Portable" Atlas of
London and Suburbs. G.W.Bacon
with alphabetical indexes to streets, squares, railway stations
Small Green or Blue or Red Hardback
First edition 1897
One or two possible further editions 1901/02
Pocket Atlas and Guide to
London. John Walker & Co.
Small Red Stiff Paperback
16 editions between 1899 and 1920, usually dated
1899 Statistics, guide, index, 16 maps, 9 street plans and 12 pages of
adverts
1908 30 page guide, 18 maps
1914 24 page guide, 18 maps, 8 other maps and plans, 18 page index
Then became
Bartholomew's Pocket Atlas and
Guide to London
Small Red Stiff Paperback
1922 18 maps and guide
1924 18 maps and guide
1929
18 maps, 24 page guide 2/-
1939
1946
Then became
Bartholomew's Pocket Atlas
Guide - London Central Area
Small Red/Mauve Stiff Paperback
1951 40 page guide 32 map pages. Festival of Britain edition 4s 6d
1956 Last edition 4s 6d
The Comprehensive Atlas and
Guide to London & (Outer) Suburbs
Stiff Tan Paperback from the
1920's on
Produced by Geographia Ltd. for H.J.Ryman Ltd., Manufacturing
Stationers & Printers
c 1926 71 sectional maps, gazetteer and index
1932 71 sectional maps, guide and index
c 1935 71 sectional maps, guide and index
Including L.C.C. changes of street names
1937 96 sectional maps, guide and 108 page index
Including L.C.C. changes of street names
1939 Greatly enlarged and revised edition 123 sectional maps 112 page
index
Including L.C.C. altered street names
Stanford’s Indexed Atlas of the
County of London
With parts of the adjacent Boroughs and Urban Districts.
Red Hardback
First edition c 1911
Second edition 1920
Michael Barnett for G.I.
Barnett & Son
whose folding street maps are now ubiquitous was founded in 1951
Red, white and blue paperback
with gazetteer, sectional and folding maps. First appearing just after
the last edition of Philips' ABC that I have seen.
ABC Atlas of Greater London early 1950's on
ABC Atlas of Middlesex early 1950's on
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