- 156
Speed, John.
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 GBP
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Description
- A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. London: Printed by M. and S. Simmons and are to be sold by Roger Rea the Elder and Roger Rea the Younger, 1662, engraved portrait frontispiece, printed title with list of maps and 21 engraved double-page general and regional maps
- paper
[bound with:] Speed, John. The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. London: To be sold by Roger Rea the Elder and the Younger, 1650-[1662], 4 parts in one, engraved architectural title, dedication and 68 double-page general and county maps after Christopher Saxton, John Norden and others
2 works bound in one volume, folio (441 x 279mm.), old reversed calf, Worthing Public Library copy with label to front pastedown, frontispiece and title to Theatre laid down, text leaf X2 (Bermuda) slightly shorter, some leaves reinforced, very occasional browning or spotting, rebacked, extremities rubbed and scuffed, new endpapers
2 works bound in one volume, folio (441 x 279mm.), old reversed calf, Worthing Public Library copy with label to front pastedown, frontispiece and title to Theatre laid down, text leaf X2 (Bermuda) slightly shorter, some leaves reinforced, very occasional browning or spotting, rebacked, extremities rubbed and scuffed, new endpapers
Catalogue Note
John Speed is perhaps the most famous of all English map-makers. He was the author of the most important and prestigious atlas of his time, and his maps are highly sought-after today. Speed is best known for two atlases, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, first published in 1612, and the Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World, which first appeared in 1627.
In 1659, William Humble sold his rights in Speed's books and atlases to another bookseller, William Garrett. However, Garrett seems only to have retained ownership of the rights for a short time, before selling them to Roger Rea the Elder and Younger, who planned new editions. Although the date 1662 appears on the title-page for the Prospect, it is probable that publication was not completed until 1666, only for the vast majority of the examples printed to be destroyed in the Great Fire of London, that year.
See lot 70 for a miniature edition of Speed's atlas.
In 1659, William Humble sold his rights in Speed's books and atlases to another bookseller, William Garrett. However, Garrett seems only to have retained ownership of the rights for a short time, before selling them to Roger Rea the Elder and Younger, who planned new editions. Although the date 1662 appears on the title-page for the Prospect, it is probable that publication was not completed until 1666, only for the vast majority of the examples printed to be destroyed in the Great Fire of London, that year.
See lot 70 for a miniature edition of Speed's atlas.