Putting Ireland on the map again

Five years after producing The Printed Maps of Ireland to 1612, Andrew Bonar Law has now published a companion volume

Five years after producing The Printed Maps of Ireland to 1612, Andrew Bonar Law has now published a companion volume. The Printed Maps of Ireland 1612-1850 is described by its author as a certobibliography and is based on many years of study in Irish, European and North American libraries. The book brings together details of hundreds of small-scale maps published worldwide in atlases, geographies, gazeteers and other books, as well as maps issued separately.

A section is dedicated to atlases of Ireland, including the late 17th century Petty atlases, folio and octavo editions which were the first printed record of Ireland to appear county by county. Mr Bonar Law's work also examines the Dutch Blaeu and Jansson 1630's atlases of the world, featuring a map of the whole of Ireland.

The main portion of the book lists all maps the author has been able to trace over the past 30 years as separate entries. Each entry covers all states the map in question may have gone through and gives details of publications in which it may have appeared. The Printed Maps of Ireland allows maps to be traced back to their first edition and their printing history to be reconstructed. With some 330 pages, it is published by the Neptune Gallery in quarto hardback and costs £70.