The County Maps of Old England

Thomas Moule is one of the most distinctive and beloved of early Victorian mapmakers. His charming series of English county maps, first published in 1830 as the 'English Counties,' are as popular and collectible today as when they first appeared. Their elaborate and decorative style, a synthesis of art and cartography, sets them apart from most other maps of the period, whose plain unembellished style owed much to the pioneering work of the Ordinance Survey. Moule's maps convey a picture of an England where 'ancientness' could still be found in abundance. This was an England where history was still alive in ancient country houses, parish churches with their escutcheoned Gothic memorials and tombs, in market towns and market place and in a landscape that still offered 'scenes, situations, and prospects remarkable for extent and beauty. Moule is often compared to his distinguished 17th century predecessors, John Speed and Joan Bleau. This new edition of 'Moule's Maps' combines 56 coloured maps with the original text taken from 'Barclays Complete and Universal English Dictionary' in which they appeared in the editions published between 1842 and 1852....