Beschreibung:

A Brief Description of England and Wales, containing a particular account of each county..., embellished with Copper-plate maps of each county, very useful for Travellers and others and very proper for Schools to give youth an idea of Geography and the nature of his own Country and County, published R. Bassam, 1796, decorative engraved frontispiece with near contemporary dated manuscript ownership address and signature to verso, printed title with similar manuscript notations to verso, three leaf introduction, two pages of the introduction torn with slight loss, 106 pages of descriptive text, thirty-one (only) uncoloured engraved 'playing card' county maps, each with a card number to upper right, Monmouth, Radnor and Anglesey with 'royal' portraits, most maps printed in strips and bound 'concertina style' into binding, a few maps bound separately, printed 'explanation' sheet, a few maps frayed or torn with some loss, later (mid 19th century) ownership signature and address to verso of front endpaper, slight staining to pastedowns, 19th century morocco gilt, very slight wear at extremities, 12mo Rare. Only one known copy listed on Copac. Not recorded in Chubb or Skelton. A few of the 1780 editions of this volume, published by H. Turpin, have appeared on the market. One of the most recent was in these rooms in 2009. We can find no record of this slightly later 1796, edition published by R.Bassam appearing anywhere. The maps present are:- Cumberland, Lincolnshire, Northampton, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Sussex, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Herefordshire, Westmorland, Flint, Carnarvan, Denbigh, Merioneth, Montgomery, Cardigan, Brecknock, Monmouth, Radnor, Anglesey, Pembroke, Carmarthen and Glamorganshire. (1)