Antique Maps of Glamorganshire

I was 19 when I got hooked on antique maps. There are quite a few of the early cartographers who we know a bit about about and their life stories make interesting reading. There is one English mapmaker who stands out as someone rather special who appears to have had a most interesting life. He is JOHN OGILBY. Yes you know he was the first to map the roads of England and Wales and yes you might have read that he had an interest in dancing. If you want to know more about the man who created that 17th century map hanging on your wall then you must read this book published in 2016 - The Nine Lives of John Ogilby by Alan Ereira. In this book the author brings a fascinating hidden history to light, and reveals that Ogilby's celebrated Britannia is far more than a harmless road atlas: it is, rather, filled with secrets designed to serve Charles II's sinister purpose.

You can order this book now and get it for less than the cover price of 25 pounds.

When I started collecting and selling maps back in the 1960's there were very few reference books on antique maps. The first book I remember buying was Maps and Mapmakers by R. V. Tooley. Full of wonderful information but over the years there were periods when it was out of print. The Antique Collectors Club used to produce a large range of books on all kinds of antiques and in 1983 BRITISH COUNTY MAPS by YASHA BERISINER was published. To the best of my knowledge there has not been another book like it published. A most useful and informative work and essential for the avid county map collector. I think there was just the one edition. If you can get hold of a copy at a reasonable price my advice would be - Buy it. There is a link below that will search Amazon for copies on sale.

My well used copy pictured on the right still has its distinctive red cover illustrating Cambridgeshire by John Speed. The county I was born in.