1838 Wyld’s Road Director, Through England and Wales Being a New and Comprehensive Display of the Roads and Distances from Town to Town and of each Remarkable Place from London.
By: James Wyld
Date: 1838 (Published) Paris
Dimensions: 25.25 x 22 inches (65 cm x 56 cm)
James Wyld, Geographer to Queen Victoria, is the author of this remarkably fascinating antique travel guide, a dissected (folding) map mounted on linen with its own folding cover and case, which curiously is named Ireland on the spine (perhaps the original owner had a series of such maps). Published in 1838 in Paris, this copy of the map was obviously well-loved and used often, for it even has tracings in blue ink throughout the country, perhaps indicating the very routes the original owner took. Original coloring is
It’s easy to imagine a traveler using the map to make his way through England, Wales, and even part of Scotland. The land mass covered by the map is highly detailed, with all cities, towns and hamlets noted and named, and inns for lodging are included. Virtually all roads, paths, trails and byways are traced in detail, as are railway lines. Figures in ovals show the distance of a given place from London.
The various seas surrounding the land mass are also described in great detail, with features such as shallows which could prove dangerous to ships noted in the English Channel and St. George’s Channel, and off the coast of France. Shipping routes at sea from one point to another even include the distance in Leagues; for example, Dublin to Bristol, 74 leagues.
Condition: This map is in B+ condition, dissected and mounted on linen, with a minor separation at one folding point. Both the cover and the case are in good condition.
Inventory #19631
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