68 Charles Cooke 1805

  

Cooke’s Modern British Traveller was written by George Alexander Cooke and published by Charles Cooke in forty-seven volumes, (12mo). Charles and George Alexander were not related, however. Charles (1750-1816) inherited his publishing business from his father, John1, in 1810. George Cooke’s works were published without dates but are attributable to a period between 1802 and 1810.2 The volumes contain a distance table and itineraries of main routes, besides descriptive text, index, etc. They were published and bound separately, or together with other counties (eg Devon with Cornwall and Dorset, see examples quoted below). After 1822 a complete British Atlas was published in 26 volumes.

After Charles’ death, the volumes were Printed, by Assignment from the Executors of the late C Cooke with the same text by Sherwood, Neely and Jones. Later editions with updated text and statistical information, eg population figures, and engravings by J and H S Storer, were published as New Edition or Second Edition, by Sherwood, Gilbert and Piper or Sherwood and Co.

Size 125 x 108 mm.                                                                                                                                                     Statute Miles  (10=13 mm).

DEVONSHIRE. Compass and scale (Ae). Note: Roads which in the Superior Edition are coloured Blue shew the route of the Mail Coaches. (CeOS).

1. 1805  Topographical Survey of the County of Devon  
    London. C Cooke. (1805).     FB.
       
    The Modern British Traveller ... or Tourist’s Pocket Directory  
    London. C Cooke. (1810).  CCCV, BL, B.
       
    Topography of Great Britain ... by George Alexander Cooke Vol 2.  
    London. C Cooke. (1810).   B.
       
2. 1812 The note on roads is omitted  
       
    Topographical Survey of the County of Devon  
    London. C Cooke. (1810).   AA.
       
    Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Devon  
    London. C Cooke. (1812).  FB, KB3 , AA4.
       
3. 1810 Hundreds (Ae), compass (Aa), scale bar (Ee) and: The Cities and County Towns are denoted by red, and the respective Hundreds of the County by different Colours, which distinctions are peculiar to the Superior Edition. (CeOS).    (DevA).
       
    Topographical Survey of the County of Devon  
    London. C Cooke. (1810). KB5.
       
    Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Devon  
    London. C Cooke. (1812). KB6 .
       
    Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Devon  
    London. Sherwood, Neely and Jones. (1817). KB7.
       
    Topography of Great Britain or British Traveller’s Pocket Directory ... by G A Cooke  
    London. Sherwood, Neely and Jones. (1818).  CCCVI, W, FB.
       
4. 1824 Page number 45 added (EaOS). Additions, eg Dawlish.  
       
    Gray’s New Book of Roads by George Carrington Gray  
    London. Sherwood, Jones & Co. 1824. CCCXCII, BL, W, B, FB, (DevA).
       
5. 1832 Last part of the imprint (which distinctions ….) deleted.  
       
    A Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Devon A New Edition 8  
    London. Sherwood and Co. (1832).  KB.

   

[1] John Cooke senior is sometimes confused mistakenly with another John Cooke who was born in London and moved to Plymouth circa 1817 and produced maps and plans of that area. See Kit Batten; John Cooke – Engraver and Publisher; available online at Kit´s Blog.

[2] Devon’s date is taken as 1805 on the evidence of an inscription in a copy in a private collection and population figures for 1801.

[3] Exeter population changed from 20,000 (no date of census) to 18,896 population figure for 1811.

[4] Bound together with Cornwall and Dorset.

[5] Exeter population still 20,000; bound with Cornwall which has no hundreds or note as under state 1 above.

[6] Exeter population of 1811.

[7] This volume bound with Hants (dated 1819) and Dorset.

[8] There is a half-title to this – Cooke’s Topographical Library, or British Traveller’s Pocket County Directory. 1831 Population figures.

Back to top