Gibson / Camden - Britannia - 1722

CAMDEN’S MASTERPIECE, THE FACE OF GREAT BRITAIN IN 51 MAPS: A MONUMENTAL WORK
9 engraved plates and 51 folded geographic maps engraved by Robert Morden.
Monumental two-volume folio edition of William Camden’s Britannia, published in London in 1722 and edited by Edmund Gibson. Considered one of the most influential historical-geographical syntheses of Great Britain, the work interweaves antiquarian erudition, topographical description, and national ambition, offering an articulated portrait of the territory through text and images. The extremely rich cartographic apparatus — with 51 folded maps engraved by Robert Morden — gives the work the dimension of a true atlas of history, in which geographic representation becomes a tool for identity construction and cultural memory.

MARKET VALUE
The folio editions of Britannia with a complete cartographic apparatus generally range between 3,000 and 5,000 euros, with higher figures for well-preserved copies, complete with the maps and contemporaneous bindings in good condition.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
2 volumes. Contemporary full leather bindings with gold decorations on the boards and spine with raised bands. Front boards with red and black; engraved portrait of William Camden in the frontispiece to the first volume. 9 engraved plates and 51 folded geographic maps engraved by Robert Morden. Presence of woodworm galleries in Volume I, predominantly at the lower margin, sometimes with slight impact on the text and some maps. Browning and physiological foxing. As is customary in old books with a long conservation history, additional imperfections not always noted in the description may be present.
Pp.:
(2); 72; 134; 2 nn.; 348; (4).
(2); 2 nn.; 764; 192 nn.; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Britannia: or, a Chorographical Description of Great Britain and Ireland.
London, Printed by Mary Matthews for Awnsham Churchill, 1722.
William Camden; edited by Edmund Gibson.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
First published in 1586, Camden’s Britannia represents a foundational work for British historiography and geography. Not merely a description of the territory, it integrates history, antiquarianism, epigraphy and topography in a unitary project aimed at defining the historical identity of the nation.
The 1722 edition, expanded and updated by Edmund Gibson, constitutes one of the most complete and authoritative versions. The extensive cartographic apparatus plays an essential role: the maps by Robert Morden provide a detailed view of the British counties, transforming the text into a tool of visual and administrative knowledge of the territory. In a context marked by colonial expansion and the gradual formation of the modern state, the work also assumes ideological value: knowing the territory amounts to defining, ordering, and legitimizing it.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
William Camden (1551–1623), English antiquarian and historian, was among the leading scholars of the Elizabethan era and founder of British antiquarian historiography. He devoted his life to the study of the territory and its historical sources. Edmund Gibson (1669–1748), bishop and scholar, oversaw later editions, expanding and updating the work with new scholarly contributions.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Since the first edition of 1586, Britannia has undergone numerous reprintings and enlargements. The 1722 edition, printed in London, is one of the most complete, enriched by an extensive cartographic apparatus and critical updates. Widely circulated among scholars, collectors and administrators, it played a central role in the construction of geographical and historical knowledge of Great Britain.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ESTC (English Short Title Catalogue), 1722 edition.
Wing (for earlier editions and Camdenian editorial tradition).
British Library Catalogue, Britannia 1722.
WorldCat/OCLC, international records.
Skelton, R.A., County Atlases of the British Isles, for the maps by Robert Morden.