Historians' Guide to Early British Maps: A Guide to the Location of Pre-1900 Maps of the British Isles Preserved in the United Kingdom and Ireland / General editor, Helen Wallis; assisted by Anita McConnell. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, no. 18. London: Royal Historical Society, 1994. 465 p. ISBN 0-86193-141-6. From the Society, c/o University College London, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT, UK.

Two main sections make up this fine guide. First is a unit on "the History and Purpose of Maps," with 26 very brief (3-4 pages) essays by recognized experts on maps of various types. Thus we find, for example, "Medieval Maps," by Paul Harvey; "County Surveys," by Elizabeth Rodger; "Archaeological Maps," by William Ravenhill; and "Maps of Scotland," by Jeffrey Stone. Each of these mini-essays is accompanied by a brief bibliography of the most important literature. The second section (about three-quarters of the volume) is devoted to a listing of 362 libraries, archives, and record offices that hold old maps. For each of these institutions, there is the usual practical information (addresses, telephone numbers, access, and available indexes) followed by one-paragraph summaries of the kinds and types of maps included. A paragraph headed "detail" lists numbers which are a coded reference to particular strengths of the collection ("General and regional maps of Ireland," "Town plans and views," "Military maps," etc.). When appropriate, publications about the collection and facsimiles of its maps are noted in a final paragraph. Treating every substantial collection of maps from the hundreds of thousands of sheets in the British Library to the manuscript maps of the Liberty of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Archbishop Marsh's Library in Dublin is a daunting task. The compilers have met it bravely and produced a compact, well designed, and easily-used guide that belongs on the shelves of every map library and every student of British History.

Robert W. Karrow, Jr.
The Newberry Library