Richard Blome (1635-1705) was the son of Jacob Bloome, a member of the Stationers’ Company. Although his family name is written in contemporary documents as Bloome, he himself used Blome. He was made free of the Stationers’ Company in August 1660 at the time of the Restoration of Charles II. According to Skelton, he began as a ruler of paper and a heraldic painter, both features which are seen in his later works. His earliest known work is a geographical treatise published in 1663. From 1667 the first of a series of maps of the world was engraved for ‘A Geographical Description of the Four Parts of the World’ published in 1670. The maps were openly described as copies of those of Nicolas Sanson in Paris and Blome’s work was derided by earlier commentators. This was a very early phase of English map publishing and the undertaking was full of peril.

Arguably the most difficult part of atlas production was the finance; these were expensive works to produce. Although the system of selling subscriptions was not a new one at the time, Blome became one of the best exponents of the practice. In return for an early deposit to finance its publication the subscriber would not only receive a copy of the final work but his coat of arms engraved on a particular map or elsewhere in the book. This is particularly well illustrated in the ‘Britannia’ published in 1673 where twenty-four pages of coats-of-arms of subscribers are included, a grand total of 806 in the first issue. Each subscriber was charged 20s., 10s. paid in advance. Pandering to that market he included at the end of the work ‘An Alphabetical Account of the Nobility and Gentry Which are (or lately were) related unto the several Counties …’ This 118-page catalogue contained the names, titles, seats and offices held of the nobility as Blome claimed ‘the like never before published’.

The ‘Britannia’ it appears was first conceived in 1668. On 28 July 1668 Richard Blome entered the title ‘English Atlas’ at Stationers’ Hall. Shortly after he issued a Prospectus in which he announced that Volume I would be an English translation of Bernhard Varenius’ ‘Geographia Generalis’ with 100 maps, first published in Latin in Amsterdam 1650. Volume II was to be a world atlas with the text and maps drawn from that of Nicolas Sanson. Volume III was to be a description of Britain. The second volume was published in 1670 and soon after a further prospectus was issued claiming that the work would be printed by Trinity Term 1671. It was announced as being ready for the press on 13 February 1671 followed by a further prospectus promising it by Michaelmas Term 1671. It was finally advertised in the ‘Term Catalogues’ on 24 November 1673 for 30s.

The initial plates of coats of arms exist in several variants with 806 coats of arms, 807, 808, 811, 812 and 827 coats-of-arms. This example is the most usually found issue with 812 arms. Similarly, it bears the later state of the four maps which were altered: Cumberland, Middlesex, Warwick and the West Riding. The latter is dedicated to the Viscount Latimer, a title created in 1674. Blome conceived his work as a successor to William Camden’s ‘Britannia’ of which he stated it was ‘scarce, much out of print, and never like to be reprinted’ (Robert Morden would publish a further edition in 1695). The maps are largely copied from Speed reduced to about two-thirds in size and the text from Camden. Both led later commentators to deride the work not entirely undeservedly. However, as a feat of publishing it must be admired. Blome did request new material from people with local knowledge to correct and update the existing authorities. Each chapter is headed by a map of the region with the notable exception of the seventeen page one on the ‘Isles and Territories Belonging to His Majesty in America’. Four of the maps are signed by their engravers: the general map of the British Isles is by Francis Lamb, Berkshire is etched by Wenceslaus Hollar, Scotland and Ireland are by Richard Palmer. There are five maps of Yorkshire, an unusual one being of Richmond Shire.

Provenance: inscription on the title of ‘Wm Davison … 1674’; book label of the Kenney Collection pasted inside upper board, C. E. Kenney F.B.A., F.R.I.C.S.; Sotheby’s 10 May 1965 lot 100 to Hodson for £170; pencil ownership inscription inside front cover from Donald Hodson, cartobibliographer; acquired by Clive A. Burden Ltd. June 1987; private English collection. Arber (1903-06) I. 69; Chubb (1927) 99; ESTC R7330; Pennington (1982) no. 659; Shirley (2004) T.Blom 2a; Skelton (1970) 90; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).