Caermarden FIRST EDITION by John Speed

Code: 52787

Author: John Speed

Publisher: Sudbury & Humble

Date published: 1611

First Edition. Long title:Caermarden Both Shyre and Towne described. Copper engraving by Jodocus Hondius, later hand colouring. Overall size : 52cms.x 45.3cms. Image size : 507mm.x 383mm. Title in cartouche surmounted by the royal lion and unicorn. Scale of miles and town plan of Caermarden. English text to verso. Centre fold as issued. Entire centrefold strengthened with archival tape, worm holes, repaired, either side of centrefold at top; some marks to margins else good condition. Unfortunately, there are no surviving records of how many examples of the First Edition (or indeed of any edition) were printed. One might speculate that the First Edition could have numbered between about five hundred and one thousand examples. It should be remembered that market for maps was not well developed in England in 1612. This, together with the cost of the atlas, the need for a second edition soon afterwards, and the high quality of impressions from the third, Latin text, edition of 1616, suggests that the first print-run may have been closer to five hundred copies or so. Unfortunately, until an attempt is made at a census of surviving examples, these figures can be regarded as only the roughest of estimates. Ashley Baynton-Williams see http://www.mapforum.com/02/speed.htm Until his late thirties, John Speed was a tailor by trade but his passion for history and map-making led him to gain a patron in Sir Fulke Greville, the poet and statesman, who found him a post in the customs and helped subsidize his map-making, giving him "full liberty to express the inclination of my mind"". He became aquainted with the publisher William Camden