Unusual old atlases

Many old maps are rare, many are interesting

but over 99.999% of maps over 100 years old
have come from atlases that have been broken up

Many people strongly disagree with breaking up an atlas.
However many people can only afford a few old maps
(myself included and can not stretch to being able to afford an atlas).

Indeed many people just buy one old map to hang on a wall.
You can not hang an atlas on a wall

But once it has been broke up into individual maps it's gone as an atlas for ever

what ever you think, there is no right answer
(and certainly not an answer to suit everyone)

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this map by George Braun & Franz Hogenberg of Edinburgh was made c. 1588
It is worth around Ł 700 and is from Volume III of the atlas

" Braun and Hogenberg's 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum"

with a full atlas worth over 20 times this amount.

Michael Drayton & William Hole produced two editions of their famous atlas "Poly-Ibion" one in 1612 & again in 1622 The plate of Rutland (below right) was from the edition published in 1622, whilst the plate of Herefordshire (below left) was from the 1622 edition. only the later of the two editions had all the English counties, whilst some plates are of more than one county e.g. the counties of Essex and Suffolk appear together.

one of the most famous atlases of all

John Speed Atlas

this was from an advert,
I have recently seen online

an atlas by

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An interesting edition of John Speed’s famous atlas. After retouching and revision to the copper plates the maps have an attractive crispness and clarity. John Oveton offered the maps both singly in sheets or bound as a set in
“ in Marble Paper, with red Leather Backs and Corners”
(Daily Advertiser, February 1742/3)

Decorative engraved frontispiece, printed index and 58 double page maps with original outline hand colouring. General condition is very good but additional notes are given in the list below. Bound in red hal morocco and marblesd boards. Folio. Bookplate of Edward Montagu Stuart Granville, Earl of Wharncliffe.

ENGLAND FULLY DESCRIBED IN A COMPLEAT SETT OF MAPPS OF YE COUNTY’S OF ENGLAND AND WALES, WITH THEIR ISLANDS, CONTAINING IN ALL 58 MAPS BY JOHN SPEED.

REPRINTED ANNO, 1743.

Printed & Sold by Henry Overton at ye White Horse without Newgate. London.

1999 Price:
Ł21,000

even the front piece
of famous atlases are collectable

the front piece to
John Speed's

1676 atlas

is worth about Ł200

more John Speed maps

RUEBEN RAMBLE’S TRAVELS THROUGH THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND AND WALES.

Published by Darton and Clark. Not dated, circa 1845. A charming juvenile atlas containing 40 plates each with a county map surrounded by numerous hand coloured views in the county. Page of text with each map. The maps are taken from Miller’s Miniature Atlas.
Hand coloured frontispiece and title page. Small quarto, 6 1/2 x 8 inches.
The advert I saw read "Atlas in original red cloth, split with front cover nearly loose. First four pages loose. Contents good and clean."
Price: Ł 1,900

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Herman Moll

an atlas of twenty four maps

C. 1707

Twenty four New and Accurate Maps of the several Parts of Europe; ... All (except the last) New done, according to the the latest Observations, by Herman Moll.

Sold by J.Nicholson at the King's-Arms in Little-Britain, Benj. Barker and Charles King in Westminster-Hall... and most Map-sellers.

Price 5 s. Coloured 6 s.

An atlas containing a double-hemisphere world and 22 maps of Europe, all by Moll, and a chart of the eastern English Channel and southern North Sea by Morden & Berry, 1688, probably engraved by Moll.

All but the last of these maps appeared later in the "Atlas Minor", so it would seem this atlas was issued as an early incarnation of that work.

The atlas has a vellum binding
which is unusual for Moll.

worth around Ł1500

Occasionally maps were printed in Atlases
in the form of old road maps

like this John Ogilby atlas.

these road maps often started in London and radiated out on the trade routes. The road map at the bottom is from the Northamptonshire section of the map from London to Derby".

these strip maps vary in cost from Ł100 to several hundred, depending on area covered. A complete atlas can cost many thousands.

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STANDFORD'S LONDON ATLAS.

A large Folio atlas of 110 coloured maps measuring 16x22

it was produced with leather binding, tooled spine, and all edges in gilt.

more atlases coming soon

antique map menu

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Cheshire

by R Butters
1803
from the miniature atlas
"An Atlas Of England"

3 1/4 inches by 4 3/4 inches