Henry Teesdale (1776-1855) a successful publisher in London is best known for two English County atlases. In 1829 he acquired the county plates to Robert Rowe’s exceedingly rare ‘English Atlas’ and after revision published them as the ‘New British Atlas’. Encouraged by its undoubted success he embarked on a reduced sized county atlas which he published the following year entitled ‘A New Travelling Atlas’. In this work the roads are made the principal feature. For some reason it was not a great success, at least judging from the fact that only two examples survive: Cambridge University Library and a private English collection. For the second edition in 1843 plate numbers were added as were railways in the counties where they had been introduced. It appears that he took in a partner D. W. Martin which might explain the possible delay in publication. This is similarly extremely rare with only about a half dozen examples known.

Both series of copper plates became the property of Henry George Collins (fl.1832-58) and the ‘Travelling Atlas’ was re-issued with his imprint in 1849. By 1857 the business had failed and ownership of the atlas had passed to William Somerville Orr whose one edition is given the date of c.1852 although possibly later. Then they passed in to the hands of John Heywood who would issue a number of editions. This is the earliest with the maps bearing the imprint of 170 Deansgate, Manchester, given the date of 1858. Interestingly it still bears a title page with Orr’s imprint. The pasted on title on the cover is however that of Heywood’s. Provenance: inscription of ‘John Rees, 12 Windsor Road, Cardiff’ on recto of the title; private English collection. Burgess (2004) no. 124.C; Carroll (1996) no. 92; refer Chubb (1927) no. 531; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).