An early issue of this rare atlas. The instigators of this project appear to be James Wallis and Charles Hinton. The latter took over the address of 1 Ivy Lane in 1820, the premises of Thomas Crabb following his death in August 1819. Crabb’s own set of county maps on card likely encouraged Hinton to follow suit. Here the style is very similar and many of the same errors of spelling are found in both. Little is known of Hinton beyond this one work, he is not even listed in the British Book Trade Index.

To assist in the work, he brought in James Wallis (fl.1810-25). It appears he started out as an engraver, becoming a bookseller, printer, stationer and publisher. His earliest work appears to be ‘Oddy’s New General Atlas of the World’, published by Samuel Augustus Oddy (1779-1847) in 1811, with Wallis as the engraver. Wallis then produced the ‘New British Atlas’ in 1813 and ‘Wallis’s New Pocket Edition’ c.1812. This is his final atlas work. Twenty of the maps here include the imprints of Wallis and Hinton, in fact in equal numbers. As with earlier works, this identifies a 50-50 partnership. For some reason production struggled and a new partner was sought. As Wallis’ name is on the title page of the finished work as printer, it is unclear if he kept his share but Hinton certainly sold his. The remaining 32 maps were engraved without any imprint.

The new partner was William Henry Reid and the finished maps are often referred to as those of ‘Wallis-Reid’. A W. H. Reid is listed in ‘Johnstone’s London Commercial Guide’ for 1818 as an ‘Appraiser & auct. 32, Charing-cross’. Further research found a William Henry Reid listed in the ‘Post Office London Commercial Directory’ for 1843 as ‘architectural, engineering & scientific bookseller & publisher, 15 Charing Cross’. It is a reasonable assumption to conclude this is one and the same person.

Each map has the mail coach roads coloured in red and is accompanied by extensive descriptive text. A rare work, Chubb recorded ‘the only copy I have seen is in the possession of Dr. F. B. Penfold’. The work is undated but the latest found in the text is on p. 62 which refers to a resolution passed in the House of Commons on 12 July 1820. The Crabb plates had been acquired by Robert Miller and were issued as ‘Miller’s new Miniature Atlas’, without text. This gave the ‘Panorama’ the edge but in 1822 William Darton re-issued it with text also. Provenance: private English collection. Beresiner (1983) p. 234; Chubb (1927) 372; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).