A Guide to London 1908

In Remembrance of the Olympic Games 1908

By Mapseeker Archive Publishing.

Guide to London 1908

A nostalgic guide to the Edwardian London of 1908, when Britain welcomed Olympians from around the world.  This guide gives a fascinating insight to London at ‘games time’ over 100 years ago.  It includes reproductions of evocative and rare sporting nostalgia: Olympic documents, memorabilia, photographs, posters and advertising.

The foreword is by Kate Hoey M.P. for Vauxhall, London and Sports Minister 1999-2001.

The Atlas and Gazetteer would have been of great use to the crowds flocking to London for both the Franco-London Exhibition and the much awaited Olympic Games.

Main sections:

Atlas and Street Guide of London 1908

Originally published by John Bartholomew of the famous map making dynasty, the maps of central London and its environs come from the Collins Bartholomew Historic Map Archive.  The clear and colourful map plates of London’s famous districts have been carefully re-mastered and sit alongside the original comprehensive index to streets and places.

Guide and Gazetteer of London 1908

Details and location of London’s places of interest.  General statistical information about London, population and chronology.  Alphabetical Guide to places of interest and amusement in London and its environs.  Specific information on Hotels, restaurants, cab fares, omnibus routes and principal London Clubs.

London 1908 The rise of Olympism

This section describes the Olympic movement and ideals at that time and how London organised and staged the games at short notice.  This guide pays tribute to the British sporting pioneers who set the modern day Olympics on the road becoming the global event of today.  There are reproductions of many original letters, tickets, instructions and programmes which were compiled into a scrapbook by William Barnard, the official timekeeper for the 1908 Games.

The 1908 London Olympic Marathon

Details of this classic Olympic event.  Why the distance was extended by an extra 385 yards, competitors, route map and description of the race with its controversial finish.

The publication is fully endorsed by the Chairman of the Amateur Athletics Association, Chris Carter, and Jonathan Edwards MBE.

A Guide to London 1908, In Remembrance of the Olympic Games 1908

Order from Mapseeker Historical Maps Online

£20.99

See also:

Manchester and Sutton Coldfield Historical Map Books

Bradshaw’s Railway Map 1839

The Times Atlas of London

Exploring London Tour with Collins Maps and Atlases

As the Wheel Spins The Helix Grows

Our Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides writer and researcher, Jonathan Mosse looks at the creation of another futuristic ‘gateway’ on the Forth and Clyde Canal.  In his article in the May 2012 edition of Waterways World he explains how The Helix has the potential to upstage the iconic Falkirk Wheel a few miles up the canal.

The Helix features:

£43m of development over 730 acres

950 yards of new canal

A pair of giant Kelpies (mythological horses) taller than the Angel of the North.

Large lagoon/watersports centre

21 miles of pedestrian and cycle paths

750,000 trees planted

For further information see http://www.thehelix.co.uk/ and http://www.waterwaysworld.com/

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides and Maps

Geographical Association Conference 2012

Collins Geo stand

A photo of our Collins Geo stand at the recent Geographical Association Annual Conference and Exhibition at the University of Manchester.

From 12-14 April 2012 more than 700 delegates from all over the world took part in a range of lectures, workshops, field visits and social events exploring the latest ideas, resources and support in primary and secondary geography.

www.geography.org.uk/cpdevents/annualconference

Collins Geo 2012 Catalogue

Discover the World Through Maps

Collins Geo 2012 Catalogue

The Times World Atlas app Summer 2012

Astronomy Photographer of the Year Foreword by Sir Patric Moore

Fragile Earth, major new 2nd edition “One of the 5 Great Photo Books of the Year” TIME

Memory of the World Documents that define human history and heritage

World’s Ultimate Running Races “The book all runners seem to be talking about” SCOTTISH ATHLETICS

World’s Ultimate Cycling Races October 2012

Railway Publications “a marvellous array of maps from all periods of railway history” MODERN LOCOMOTIVES ILLUSTRATED

The Times Atlas of London The definitive London Guide and an indispensable compendium for anyone looking to visit the capital for the 2012 Olympics.

Extreme Survivors Foreword by Bear Grylls

The Times Atlases Market-leading atlases

The World’s Heritage A complete guide to the most extraordinary places

Species on the Edge of Survival “A glossy tome with an important raison d’etre.” THE ECOLOGIST

Collins World Atlases

International Maps and Country eBooks

Educational Atlases for ages 6-11 years

Educational Atlases for ages 11-18 years

Children’s Reference World Atlas, Flags, Solar System, Animals ...

British Maps & Atlases New editions

European Maps & Atlases New editions

London Maps & Atlases Find your way around London without costly data charges

Scottish Maps & Atlases  Road, Touring, Tartans, Whisky, Clans ...

Irish Maps & Atlases “The best road atlas of Ireland” AMAZON REVIEW

Rambler’s Guides “A must for all hill walkers” AMAZON REVIEW

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides The number 1 best selling waterways guides

Download the new Collins Geo Catalogue 2012 (PDF)

FRAGILE EARTH – Capturing the World’s Changing Landscape

See the world change in front of your eyes with Fragile Earth. This stunning new photography app gives a bird’s-eye view of natural and man-made locations from around the world as they undergo dramatic changes through climate change, urbanization and nature’s raw power.

This innovative app, which is being launched on 19^th April 2012 by Collins, in partnership with Aimer Media, is set to become the definitive reference guide for all those interested in science, nature, photography and landscape.

Fragile Earth’s innovative swipe function allows users to see years pass under their fingertips by dragging multiple photographic layers across their smart screen to reveal images of a site before, during and after the landscape has changed.

Through some of the most powerful images of the world available, Fragile Earth provides thought-provoking portraits of our world – its beauty, vastness and vulnerability. The app depicts rivers which have dried up or flooded, erupted volcanoes, glaciers in the process of melting, and cities sprawling outward.

The Aral Sea was once the world’s fourth-largest lake, but as can be seen in the four satellite images, has decreased in size over the last forty years. Today, due to climate change and the diversion of water from its feeder rivers for irrigation, it is much smaller. Steps have been taken to preserve the northern part by constructing a dam, but the southern part has been abandoned to its fate.The local fishing industry on the Aral Sea has been devastated by the lake’s shrinkage and the local population has developed health problems due to the exposure of chemicals on the dry sea bed. Abandoned ships litter the former lake bed and as it dries out vast salt plains are forming and dust storms are becoming more frequent. 

The earthquake that struck Sichuan on 12 May 2008 created devastation in the wider landscape as well as in towns and cities. Many landslides were triggered which caused problems with rescue efforts. This area is around 150 km (90 miles) from the epicentre. The false colour images show vegetation in red and the second image has numerous grey patches where bare ground has been exposed by the many landslides heading downslope into the rivers.

These satellite images show the Neelum river at Makhri just north of Muzaffarabad, before and after the magnitude 7.6 earthquake which struck northern Pakistan on 8 October 2005. Major landslides have blocked the river’s usual course, forcing it to change direction. Its water is brown with sediment from many more landslides upriver.

A typical late summer season view of Western Australia can be seen in the first image, but on 1 March 2006 cyclone Emma hit and the ground was deluged with heavy rain. This triggered widespread flooding in the Murchison and Gascoyne river basins as seen in the second image. Vegetation has flourished in this wet period, making the flooded rivers stand out clearly.

Snow cover in January 2010 in the northern hemisphere extends in an almost horizontal band as far south as the USA/Canada border and from eastern Europe to northern China. South of this line the high mountain ranges of the Rocky Mountains, the Caucasus, the Himalaya and Japan are snowclad. Western Europe, as a consequence of its position next to the Atlantic Ocean and the warming influence of the Gulf Stream, is snow-free. The southern hemisphere, apart from the continent of Antarctica, is virtually clear of snow.In July 2011 the difference in snow cover in the northern hemisphere is immediately obvious with snow now confined to the Arctic regions and the highest mountain ranges. Even though it is now winter in the southern hemisphere there is little evidence of snow except in the Andes in South America and the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The land mass of Antarctica continues to be covered but as there is no land immediately to its north there is no discernible extension of snow cover. The continents of Africa and Australia are almost entirely snow-free throughout the year.

Other events featured in the app include the landslides in Maierato, Italy, the drying of the Aral Sea, formerly one of the largest lakes in the world, the draining of the Mesopotamia Marshes in Iraq, land reclamation in Ijsselmeer, Netherlands, and the effects of Amazon deforestation in Rondônia, Brazil.

Fragile Earth is arranged into the following sections: Natural Phenomena, Warming World, Water’s Power, Deserts and Drought, Man’s Impact, and Wild Weather. The images can be viewed by location, category and date, and shared via Facebook, Twitter, or email without leaving the app, helping to spread consciousness about the planet.

Fragile Earth conveys the innate and delicate beauty of the world’s landscape, and highlights dramatic shifts that are taking place across the globe. It is invaluable to anyone concerned for the state of the Earth.

To celebrate Earth Day (22nd April 2012) the Fragile Earth app will be available at the special price of 69p

The promotional price lasts for 1 week, from Midnight on 21st April 2012 to Midnight 28th March 2012

Available to purchase from the iTunes app store


View the app demo video here

Aimer Media are the innovative team behind the The Tate Guide to Modern Art Terms and The Collins World’s Heritage apps 

Bradshaw’s Railway Map 1839

A facsimile printing of this rare Bradshaw railway map from 1839.

Bradshaw's Map 1839

This classic nineteenth century map of Great Britain produced by the great 19th-century cartographer himself, Bradshaw’s map shows a high level of detail of settlements, roads and the railways which had been built or were under construction by 1839.

Originally a folded map printed on cloth – the map has been cleaned and joined together to form an attractive wall map measuring 34" x 55" (875x1400 mm).

Includes gradient profiles of many lines and an enlarged inset of London and is edged by thirty-four attractive ‘sections’ or gradient profiles of the principal railways.

Published 16th February 2012

£9.99

ISBN 978-0-00-748028-9

The BCS John C. Bartholomew Award 2012

Entries for the 2012 British Cartographic Society (BCS) Awards are required by the 31st of March. There are six categories of which two are for students or young mapmakers.

Collins Bartholomew and the Bartholomew family, jointly sponsor the John C. Bartholomew Award for excellence and originality in the field of thematic small scale cartography.  A £500 pound prize is awarded to the winner.

Past winners have been so diverse as to include a map of key battles during the American Civil War, an undersea map of the waters around New Zealand, a thematic atlas of China, a surnames map of Ireland and a classification of the world football associations.

Download the rules and an entry form: http://www.cartography.org.uk/downloads/Awards_JCBart.doc

Keith Moore, Head of Cartographic Services, Collins Geo

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides and Maps

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides and Waterways Map of Great Britain are the number one bestselling waterway resources, covering the entire network of canal and river navigations in England, Scotland and Wales, including newly restored and opened canals and rivers. The guides and map have been republished, fully updated, with extra information, for this, their 40th anniversary year.

The colour Ordnance Survey® maps within the guides clearly show locks, towpaths and boating facilities. There are comprehensive navigational notes as well as descriptions of the towns and villages, pubs and restaurants alongside the waterways, and details of navigation authorities. In addition, notes on the history and background to each canal are included in each guide, as well as opportunities for walking and cycling, and new for these editions, notes on the wildlife to be found along the waterways.

In print for 40 years, the Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides and Waterways Map of Great Britain have always been a vital part of journeys along Britain’s canals and rivers. They are ideal for anyone with an interest in Britain’s inland waterways: from experienced boaters to those planning their first boat trip, as well as walkers, cyclists and visitors. In the year of the ‘staycation’ these books are must-haves.

Collins Nicholson Waterways Guides cover the following regions:
• Grand Union Oxford and the South East
• Severn, Avon and Birmingham
• Birmingham and the Heart of England
• Four Counties and the Welsh Canals
• North West and the Pennines
• Nottingham, York and the North East
• River Thames and Southern Waterways
• Norfolk Broads

Also re-published, fully updated:
• Collins Nicholson Inland Waterways Map of Great Britain

"Taste in guide books can be a very personal thing, but few serious boaters will venture out without a Nicholson's Guide. There is a wealth of information that even the most experienced cannot hope to keep abreast of, and the guides are welcome valuable for cyclists and walkers too." The Inland Waterways Association.

Available to purchase from all good book shops and online at waterstones.com.

Finding Antarctica: Mapping the Last Continent Exhibition

‘In 2011 Australia celebrates 100 years of Australian expeditions to the Antarctic. The Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), which departed from Hobart in December 1911 and was led by Sir Douglas Mawson, was the first Australian-led Antarctic expedition.’

To celebrate this centenary the State Library of New South Wales has an exhibition ‘Finding Antarctica: Mapping the Last Continent.’  The exhibition focuses on the mapping of Antarctica from the 15th to the 21st century and the story of the discovery, exploration and charting of this frozen South Polar Continent.

The maps displayed include the Antarctic Regions: Maps showing present state of research 1898 where the name Antarctica is shown clearly across the southern continent.  This map was produced for the Royal Geographical Society by our predecessor J. G. Bartholomew F.R.S.E at The Edinburgh Geographical Institute, for John Bartholomew & Co.  It is one of the first maps to show the name Antarctica, the first use of this name on maps is attributed to the cartographer John George Bartholomew.

The Naming of Antarctica

Collins Maps blog Map of the Month: Jul 08 - Antarctica

Highlights from the Bartholomew Archive The naming of Antarctica

National Library of Scotland, Scottish Maps Forum Cairt July 2008 extract

The exhibition runs from 3 Dec 2011 – 19 Feb 2012 in Sydney.  If you can’t make it in person then explore the maps and information via the library’s website.

Scotland the Best

The true Scot's insider's guide to the very best Scotland has to offer.

Whether you live in Scotland or are visiting, why settle for anything second-rate when you can be guided to so much that is superb? Peter Irvine's personal guide points you towards the best places to stay (whatever your budget), the best beaches, the best ice-cream, the best hill walks, the best bakers, the best spooky places, the best seafood, the best places for kids, the best ceildhs, and so the list goes on.

Scotland the Best

However well you know Scotland, Peter Irvine will guide you to something excitingly new. That's why it remains the only guide to Scotland that the Scots themselves buy. Scotland the Best was first published in 1993. Since then its reputation has grown and it has been widely praised in reviews, won awards from the Tourist industry and, above all, delighted readers from all over the world. And it’s also sold close to 250,000 copies!

In this new edition, every recommendation has been reassessed to see whether it is still worthy of inclusion, and the selection criteria has become even more stringent. Clear colour mapping from Collins Bartholomew and website links for all entries, a new look to the cover, plus an exciting new picture section and new chapter intros make this a more vibrant book to have as your companion.

Quirky, personalized and informed, Peter Irvine's guide gives you what other travel guides only claim to - a true Scot's insider's guide.

Reviews

'the book is also a gospel, a love poem to Scotland and a patriotic tract' The Observer

'Nobody tells it better…All that's wonderful about Scotland is in the book' Daily Express

'Infallible and quite brilliant' Daily Telegraph

'Makes all other guides to Scotland redundant' The Sunday Times

'Apart from a clever structure and the highest journalistic standards, this book is a joy. The clever thing about such opinionated copy is that pretty soon one picks up the character of the writer, and thus can get a much more accurate and tactile impression of a place than from so-called even handed reports. This book can only enhance the pleasure of visiting or living in Scotland' Amazon

Paperback edition out now

eBook (published 5 Jan 2010)

Great Review of Times Mapping the Railways

Mapping the Railways

Great review of The Times Mapping the Railways: The journey of Britain's railways through maps from 1819 to the present day from Amazon’s #1 reviewer Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan".

See his comments Illustrated history of British railway maps

Rod Peel on his inspiration and ambition for The Times Extreme Survivors

Since that day when I dug my first snow hole as a schoolboy in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, I became absolutely fascinated by human survival. How human beings can survive in harsh climates, how lost explorers would travel for days without food and water. I avidly read and collected every account I could. This was easy because my father, as a history teacher, had a vast collection of old books, and amongst these were epic tales of survival at sea, in war and captivity.

Like the journey of the James Caird by Shackleton's Expedition from Antarctica to the Island of South Georgia - an incredible feat of seamanship. Had the 3 man crew not taken turns to chip away frozen lumps of sea water from the boat every few hours during the 24 hour trip, it would have sunk. There were other stories as well, for example, the Mutiny on the Bounty is well documented from the mutineers' standpoint, but the fact that Captain Bligh sailed 4000 miles without charts and instruments is incredible.

One key thing that I felt would complement these stories would be an accurate map of the journeys that these survivors made. Surely I was not the only person who was curious about where the young Lt Farrah Hockley actually escaped after the battle of the Imjin River, and how far he travelled on foot behind enemy lines? What route did he take? Why did he decide to abandon travelling at night?
And the famous Cockleshell Heroes - what aspects of their escape contributed to the survival of Blondie Hasler and Bill Sparks? Could it have been small details like the fact that they never looked at any of their sketch maps in public, but kept them concealed in the palms of their hands, memorizing portions of their journey so to a casual observer they would just seem to be local labourers going about their business?

So this idea of a book that “mapped out” these extreme survivals was born, indeed a book of maps of each amazing survival. It certainly was difficult to decide on which stories to include - we think we selected some of the most gripping accounts, both modern and historic, but only you, as the reader can judge.

A review of The Times Atlas of London from John Davies, writer for Sheetlines, the Journal of the Charles Close Society.

Lovers of London and maps have been treated to several excellent publications in recent times. Simon Foxall’s Mapping London and Peter Whitfield’s London: A life in maps have been particularly well received. Now Times Books has produced yet another treat with this magnificent volume, the latest title in the prestigious Times Atlas series.

Unlike Foxall’s and Whitfield’s books, this is indeed an atlas, with 1:65,000 maps of greater London and 1:10,000 street maps of inner London. But hardly an atlas for every day navigation – and certainly not one for carrying around. The large page size (12½ inches by 10 inches), heavy paper and substantial binding create a sturdy tome weighing some 2.5 kilos. But resting securely on the coffee-table, this is a book that will be referred to and pored over with delight for years to come.

The book offers a cornucopia of maps, pictures and stories about many aspects of London, as promised by the sub-title the story of a great city through maps, history and culture.
The modern mapping is by Collins Bartholomew, another part of the HarperColllins empire, and, oddly, is the only less-than-totally-satisfactory feature of the book. Given the wealth of colour and detail on other pages, the outer London maps, in shades of pale grey, pale green and white, lack impact and, worse, lack any indication of terrain or land form.

The book is arranged in sections, starting with reproductions of famous historic maps such as Ogilby’s Britannia, Snow’s Cholera map, Booth’s Poverty map, Beck’s tube map and many others. London in Context, the next section, looks at the physical geography – with maps, old and new, charting such features as flood risk, geology and climate – and social and economic affairs, illustrated with statistics, photographs and charts. Successive sections deal with the growth of London, reproductions of historical views, a comprehensive chronology and a gazetteer of place-names and their meanings.

The main part of the book is organised geographically by borough, interspersed (slightly confusingly) with thematic features. Thus we get, for example, the sequence Croydon, Public transport, Ealing, Universities, Enfield, Roads and so on. However, the borough chapters are a delight, each a double-page spread with statistics and stories of famous residents, notable buildings and interesting events, lavishly illustrated with maps and photographs. Particularly fascinating are the series of ‘then and now’ maps and views.












A book such as this is inevitably out of date almost as soon as it appears, but care has been taken to include the very latest developments (such as Stratford City, opened just a week before publication date!) whilst a chapter on Future London describes buildings and transport links still to appear.

John Davies


The Times Atlas of London, Times Books, 2011, 304 pages royal quarto, hardback in slip case, ISBN 978-0-00-743422-0, £50

Collins Country Factfile ebooks

Know Your World with these accessible ebooks full of facts and stats, available on the Amazon Kindle store and iTunes.

Collins Factfiles are packed full of statistical information on topics such as history, people, government, economy, geography, communications and transportation.

Graphics are included to support the statistics, and historical and present day mapping of each country is presented alongside the in-depth data.

All information included in the eBooks has been carefully researched and sourced from the latest authoritative sources. Each factfile opens with a snapshot overview of the country from which you can drill down to the more detailed information outlined within each chapter.

The easy-to-read format lets you explore each country, its identity and how it has changed over time. Divided into five chapters, they focus on the main geographical, demographic, economic and environmental aspects of the country and its people.

Features in the ebooks include*:

• Easy navigation from page to page or topic to topic
• Searchable content
• Tap on images for greater detail
• Alterable type/background style to suit personal preference
• Navigation from table of contents to specific topics of interest
• Bookmarking





*some features may not work on certain platforms

Manchester and Sutton Coldfield Historical Map Books

Mapseeker Archive Publishing with maps from the Collins Bartholomew Historic Map Archive has just published their latest historical map and guide books covering Manchester and Sutton Coldfield.

The Environs of Sutton Coldfield was launched at the Waterstone’s Bookshop in Sutton Coldfield.

The Mapseeker team

The Historical Books collection sets out to cover all the counties of England and Wales, containing all the borough surveys and reports for each respective county. Mapseeker have re-created and re-published the plans and reports along with the inclusion of many period views and vistas for individual boroughs. The final chapter in each book concludes with the arrival of the railways and includes early railway maps and guides used by the early Victorian traveller.



The Environs of Sutton Coldfield



Sutton Coldfield Guide

Towards the end of the 16th century and the turn of the 17th century, a small market town in the Hemlingford Hundred was flourishing once again, after emerging from a period of decline. The early maps clearly illustrate the town as "Sutton Cofeld" or "Sutton Colfelde". A number of maps at the turn of the 18th century present the town as "Sutton Cole field". Maps from these centuries illustrated in this book also refer to "Cofeld Wast" and "Cofield Wast", a landscape of sparsely wooded heath land scrub and gorse, water-logged or arid, left after many of the trees had been felled for charcoal burning.  The informative text, old views of Sutton Coldfield and historical maps present an informative guide to the colourful and rich history of the Royal Town and its neighbouring communities.

The Guide to Manchester 1927



Manchester Guide 1927

The Atlas and Guide of Manchester 1927 has been published with the kind permission of Collins Bartholomew Ltd and the book dedicated to J .G. Bartholomew who published the original pocket guide back in 1927. By this time Manchester was one of the largest manufacturing cities in the country, and like many cities Manchester attracted many visitors. By now the majority of people were utilising the established railway networks to explore and visit far off places, tourism would become the new vogue, and the privileged few could drive their new motor cars. John Bartholomew, fifth in a family line of famous cartographers could see the need to provide such people with a handy pocket atlas for their use when navigating the expanding city roads and locating the many businesses and attractions.

Other books in the range so far are the Atlas of Warwickshire and Worcestershire 1830 – 1840, Atlas & Guide of Birmingham 1924 and Atlas and Guide of Liverpool 1928.

All the guides are available as print-on-demand from the Mapseeker website or in a number of Waterstone’s, WH Smiths and National Trust outlets.

Mapseeker Historical Map Books

Historic Street and County Atlases from Mapseeker

Exploring London Tour with Collins Maps and Atlases

Take a quick Collins Maps tour around London with your guides J & J who are on location with details of the new editions of our popular London maps and atlases.

See the new video on CollinsMapsTv YouTube channel.

"Much better than a smartphone"

See also The Times Atlas of London