John Ogilby's 'Britannia' was published between 1675 and 1698. It is a landmark in the mapping of England and Wales. Its unique format constituted the first national road-atlas of any country in Western Europe. It was composed of maps of seventy-three major roads and cross-roads, presented in a continuous strip-form, on a uniform scale of one inch to a mile. Each beautiful map includes wonderful detail of the countryside with each strip containing a large compass rose to indicate changes in direction.

This handsome road map is in the pictorial style pioneered by Ogilby, with the road laid out in several ribbon-like panels. The map begins in York (mile 192 from London) and proceeds in a northerly direction, through several small towns to Chester at mile 268. Along the route are Burrowbriggs, Topcliffe, Darlington, Durham, and more. Each of the six panels has a decorative compass rose to orient the traveler. The title is bounded by fancy, flourishing elements and figures. This is "Plate ye 4th."

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) T.OGIL-4a #8.

Condition: B

On a watermarked sheet with light toning and soiling. There is some light staining around the centerfold at bottom, resulting in a few short tears and small chips that have been archivally repaired on verso with a couple small areas replaced in facsimile. A few short edge tears have also been archivally repaired.