A Map of Kent 1769
A Survey of the County, first published in 1769
The London Bookseller Andrew Dury and the engraver John Andrews began work on their survey A Map of Kent in 1765. They finally published the incredibly detailed work as a bound book of maps in 1769. Addison Publications now offer you a perfect facsimile of this remarkable work in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies.
The geographical position of Kent has given it an extraordinary strategic and economic importance since the earliest times. The particular importance of Canterbury, the seat of the Primate of England, was highlighted by the cartographers of our 1769 map by the inclusion of an entire additional plate dedicated to the city, showing its streets and houses in unprecedented detail.
This mapping of ‘The Garden of England’ is also a survey of a county of supreme maritime importance. When the map was created, the Kent ports of Chatham and Sheerness in the Medway and Woolwich in Deptford on the Thames shared the burden of housing the Royal Navy. This is perhaps the reason why the map, unusually, depicts all the sandbanks and charted depths of the coastal waters.
““... the most skilfully engraved and beautiful of all the historic maps of Kent””
Dury and Andrews surveyed great houses as well as farms and cottages, rivers and coastline as well as gardens and the name of individual home-owners. The scale of two inches to one mile shows, in fascinating detail, the land, the coast and the social fabric of the time. A glimpse at any of the map sheets is to step back in time and be absorbed into an exploration of 18c Kent.
Original copies of A Map of Kent are rare. King George III was one of the original subscribers, and a copy is kept in The Royal Collection. A few more are in private libraries and collections. This publication means that a perfect facsimile copy is now available for you to own.
The book is bound in the traditional style for fine atlases, and the edition is limited to 500 hand-numbered copies.
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The first task was to find a complete copy to reproduce. Enquiries led to a fine copy in the Royal Collection (the copy originally purchased by George III) and just a handful of others, all in private collections. Then we struck lucky: a bookseller in Folkestone had a complete uncoloured copy of the original edition, which we were able to acquire. The precious book was disbound by a specialist craft binder, enabling the leaves to be scanned with the highest fidelity required for such incredibly detailed images. As the copy was uncoloured, we then commissioned a cartographic specialist to add colour to each scan, creating the effect of hand-colouring – a process that was itself a major undertaking. The map sheets are printed on paper chosen as a perfect match to the original for shade and texture.
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Andrew Dury and John Andrews financed their great endeavour by signing up subscribers to the Map. Their names are printed into the magnificent original subscriber’s page which is reproduced in the facsimile. The list is headed by King George III and the Dukes of Gloucester and Cumberland, indeed The King’s copy remains in The Royal Collection to this day. The collection of over 100 subscribers includes the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Walpole and, the only woman on the list, the Duchess of St Albans. It is a Who’s Who of the aristocracy, politicians, gentry and churchmen of the time.
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The Publishing Team for A Map of Kent 1769 are Henrietta Pearson of Addison Publications and Joe Whitlock Blundell, former Production Director of The Folio Society.
The use of traditional book-making skills makes this book of maps a library standard treasure. An original copy of A Map of Kent 1769 has been unbound, scanned, and then colouring added before being printed at actual size on Chagall Bianco paper from the Cordenon Mill . The paper is archival quality. The sheets are printed individually and attached to guards sewn into the spine of the book so that they open completely flat.
A Map of Kent 1769 is presented as a single-volume work, half-bound in polished calf-skin leather and hand-marbled paper sides individually made by Jemma Lewis of Wiltshire. Each of the limited edition volumes is hand-finished with gold blocking. The binding and Solander design are by David Eccles.
Specification
A Map of Kent is a limited edition publication of 500 hand-numbered books.
Book size: 54-38cm
Map sheets open to 53x74cm printed on Chagall Bianco paper by Cordenon.
28 double-page spreads including index map, map of Canterbury and Subscribers’page
Double endpapers using two shades of Hahnemühle papers
Inset leather titling label and raised spine bands
Presented in a buckram-bound solander case, with 25x19cm commentary volume by Peter Barber, former Map Librarian of The British Library.
The purchase includes a loose unbound map sheet of your area of choice, suitable for framing.
published in facsimile by
Addison Publications
LONDON — 2023