149. George Philip & Son - Handy Atlas 1872

George Philip & Son published a very successful county atlas in 1862 (see 141). Philips' Handy Atlas originally contained 35 English county maps (some maps with two counties, for example Cambridge and Huntingdon), maps of the English railways, North and South Wales which included a set of smaller county maps that appeared in other works from c.1872. Many of the maps were issued before the atlas appeared as individual county maps with a special text and cover for school use; The Geography of Devonshire for use in Schools by Rev. J P Faunthorpe MA, FRGS and first issued in 1872. [1]

John Pincher Faunthorpe graduated from London University in 1865, was ordained priest three years later and was Vice-Principal of St. John's College in Battersea and later the principal of Whitelands College in Chelsea. He wrote other geographies for schools, including Elementary Physical Atlas and Geography of the British Colonies. It is not known how many County Geographies were completed.

Many of Philips’ maps appeared in directories: in 1873 some county maps were published as Butcher & Co`s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Glamorgan), Butcher, Cole & Co.´s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Somerset), Butcher & Co.´s Series of Directory Maps (e.g., Dorset), and in 1878 Eyre's Shilling County Guides appeared with Eyre Brothers´ Series of Guide Map s(e.g., Sussex). Devon and Cornwall may also have been planned for inclusion in this series, and the two counties are known in a guide from 1878.  Stevens' Postal Directories Publishing Co. produced a small series of directories and a Philips map with title Steven's Series of Directory Maps (London. Stevens, c.1891) is known (BL has Hants.). The Eyre Brothers (actually George Pallant Butcher)[2] produced a number of gudes and these included maps printed and made available by Philip & Son.

The Handy Atlas was re-issued post-1901 with a new map imprint: London Geographical Institute. George Philip & Son, Ltd. (London and Liverpool by George Philip, Son & Nephew.). H Rider Haggard of King Solomon’s Mine fame wrote Rural England in 1902 which included a late edition of the Devon map with new overprinting of geological information.[3] The map was adapted to include both physical and geological features and printed on the inside covers of the Cambridge County Geographies - Devonshire by Francis Knight and Louie Dutton published from 1910.[4] The plates were used until c.1938 (in Philips' Handy Administrative Atlas of England & Wales). Further use was made of the plates to produce Philips´ Visual Contour Atlas as late as the 1940s. There were special county editions and one for Devonshire (with four extra maps based on Devon) has been seen[5].

Faunthorpe's Geography of Devonshire included three sketch maps of the county¹

Size: 194 x 145 mm.                                                                                                                                                     English Miles (12 = 25 mm).

THE COUNTY OF DEVON with scale, note on 3 Parliamentary areas and key (Ee). Imprint: GEORGE PHILIP & SON LONDON & LIVERPOOL (CeOS). Imprint [for this issue only]: PHILIPS’ EDUCATIONAL SERIES OF COUNTY MAPS (CaOS). No page number. Railways to date but Kingsbridge (along Avon river).