Lot 236
Thomson, John
The Atlas of Scotland
Auction: From the Library of Professor Roland Paxton | 01 October 2026 from 10am | Lots 221 to 252
Description
Containing Maps of Each County. Edinburgh: for John Thomson & Co., 1832. First edition, folio (55 x 41.5cm), contemporary half-diced russia rebacked with spine laid down, engraved plates hand-coloured, [4] viii 18 pp., engraved 'Index Map' hand-coloured in outline, 2 double-page engraved plates ('A Comparative View of the Heights of the Principal Mountains of Scotland' and 'A Comparative View of the Lengths of the Principal Rivers of Scotland') each hand-coloured and mounted on stubs, 29 engraved maps, all folding, mounted on stubs and hand-coloured in outline, some with inset town plans, a few with engraved vignettes (the illustrations being Edinburgh Castle, Melrose Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Dundrennan Abbey, Bonnington Linn, Stirling Castle, Dumbarton castle, Dunnotar Castle), many on multiple sheets, printed caption slips to versos, tidemark pp [2], [3], [4], i, pencil annotations to front free endpaper, numerical pencil annotation to margin p. v, ‘x’ marked in pencil to Dumfries-shire, some slight dampstaining to East Part of Fife-shire, occasional offsetting, boards scuffed
Provenance
From the collection of the late Professor Roland Paxton MBE FICE FRSE (1932-2025), 'Britain's foremost historian of civil engineering' (Telegraph, obituary, 12th November 2025); Professor Paxton was also a leading conservationist of Britain's engineering heritage, and led successful campaigns to restore two of the world's most important railway structures, the Laigh Milton Viaduct in Ayrshire, the world's oldest surviving railway bridge, and the Union Chain Bridge, the world's oldest suspension bridge still carrying road traffic.