Short Guide to London.

Published by London: Ernest Benn Limited; Librairie Hachette, Paris, 1933

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Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United KingdomPeter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB.

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Item description from seller

First edition, first state, of Harry Beck's map of the London Underground, tipped in as issued. Copies of the pamphlet were also issued standalone in January 1933. The Short Guide to London was first published in 1924, but this, the third edition, was the first to include Beck's groundbreaking map of the London Underground published by Waterlow and Sons. This map had reconceptualized the network for millions of people: "Rather than emphasising distance and geographical accuracy, like other maps, Beck based his on the circuit diagrams he drew for his day job; stripping the sprawling Tube network down to a neat diagram of coloured, criss-crossing lines" (Transport for London). The copy in this volume is in the first state, showing the Piccadilly Line under construction between Cockfosters and Enfield West (now Oakwood). The first Blue Guide was released in 1918 by James and Findlay Muirhead, beginning a series that would last for over 100 years. The Muirheads already had experience in publishing travel guides as the English-language editors for Baedeker, and had acquired the rights to John Murray's Handbooks in 1915. They soon came to rival the Baedecker series itself, with one reviewer writing of the 1920 England guide: "The verdict is, if you can have both books in your library, do so; but, if you can have but one, take the Blue Guide. This will probably permanently displace Baedecker as regards England" (Hopkins, p. 153). A. A. Hopkins, "Review: The Blue Guides Versus Baedeker", Geographical Review, vol. 11, no. 1, 1921; Transport for London, "Harry Beck's Tube map". Small octavo. Folding colour map frontispiece and 6 brown street maps (2 double-page), colour tube map, maps in text. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt, lettered or map endpapers, top edge blue, red and blue bookmarkers. Purple ink stamp of Angus and Robertson Ltd. Sydney and old price in pencil on front free endpaper. London Underground map foxed in places. Somewhat worn, folding map foxed and sometime repaired on verso with tape, small split along fold line, red bookmarker detached: a very good copy.…

Seller Inventory # 185321

Bibliographic details

Title
Short Guide to London.
Author
LONDON UNDERGROUND - MUIRHEAD, Findlay (ed.).
Publisher
London: Ernest Benn Limited; Librairie Hachette, Paris, 1933
Edition
1st Edition

Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB.

London, United Kingdom

5-star seller

AbeBooks seller since July 26, 1999

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