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mikejee

mikejee

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I have had a communication from Paul at the Mapseeker website ( https://www.mapseeker.co.uk/ ) the bulk of which is given below. When I was in Brum a week ago I unfortunately was unaware of the display at Waterstones he mentions , though i did buy his book. It would look like a good thing to visit.
From Paul:
A few days ago the latest version went live.

This includes a members area, we now have a growing number of "members", membership is free.

Members have access to their own "page", from here they can access latest updates from Collins Bartholomew, Mapseeker Collections and Bygone Times, (latest Work In Progress and availability, competitions and monthly Draws)

We have commenced a major project to make available the famous Collins Bartholomew Archive (access to detailed level)

New maps, plans and surveys are being added, (5-10 per week) on a regular basis.

There are now 3 Birmingham Plans in the "Searchable Atlases" (Atlas of Birmingham) with all streets and places loaded for quick search - many more to follow.

My long awaited book - Birmingham - A History In Maps has been released for sale in all leading bookshops - The book was produced with the help of Birmingham Archives, Collins Bartholomew and many other contributers - all the plans can be viewed at the detailed level in the book, (1553 - 2013 (Yes 2013!!). If you key in Birmingham A History In Maps to Google - you can access Press Release - British cartographic Society - Amazon etc

I was with Carl Chinn on his show last week, (Carl kindly wrote the forward for the book)

Shortly there will be a feature on the BBC website (including Carls/my audio) about the project to make rare map archives available to all - in particular schools - using latest technology, (and still some painstaking artwork).

There is a four page feature in BBCs Who Do You Think You Are magazine - about the Birmingham Book and projects - this months issue now on sale

WE HAVE CREATED AN EXHIBITION OF THE OLD BIRMINGHAM PLANS FOR EVERYONE TO SEE AT WATERSTONES HIGH STREET ON THE 4TH FLOOR
- IN JANUARY IT WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO BIRMINGHAM CENTRAL LIBRARY, it is geting many visitors

The next version of the site will include our new "Archive Explorer". (Our own "Historical" Google Earth)
This is where we are linking in with schools, giving them on-line access to rare archives that can be used for there curriculum based project work).

I did comment that i hoped it would not be just schoolchildren able to access the archive site, being still a little unhappy at being unable to access much that, if i was an academic, would be freely available.
Mike
 
Being a map addict, on seeing the last posts on this thread, I immediately ordered a copy of Paul Leslie Line's book "Birmingham - A History in Maps", which arrived today. It is a wonderful book, which all of us should have on our Chistmas present wish list, and possibly give it to someone else. The cover price in the shops is £20, but if you order by internet you get it delivered (in six days in my case) for less than £14.
Although it is small in size - only 9in (23cm) high by 10in (25cm) wide - it has good reproductions of many historic maps. In several cases the maps are offered to a larger scale in four sections. More than that, it has an excellent commentary which introduces and links the maps, to give a very well-balanced story of the growth of our city. Above all it is beautifully presented in colour, thanks to Alicja Borowska, with carefully selected illustrations.
We can only feel proud of our heritage, and this book tells us more about it than any other in the shops today.
Having copied most of the earlier maps to a larger scale myself, I especially appreciated the commentaries, but I could help feel that the maps should be enlarged to something closer to their original size to be really legible. Although great care has obviously been put into reducing and printing the coloured maps, the results are still far too small to be as clear as they should be.
I was surprised that perhaps the best of the early maps, by John Pigott Smith in 1824 was not included. But I guess that the reason was that it was just too big to reduce to the format of the book. Pity, because that is a superb record to my mind.
Having said all that, I can only recommend this lovely book.
Make sure you and yours get it by Christmas.
Peter
 
Peter
I commented to Paul that it would have been better in a larger format. He agreed , but said that (paraphrasing him) apparently publishers nowadays work in a strict set of formats, and to have a larger book it wouldn't have been just a little bit larger but much larger. I guess this would have wacked up the price considerably, and thus possibly lost some of the market, so I can see it was a balance of compromises
Mike
 
Have just recieved my copy from Amazon £13.00 it's a lovely book and as Peter says all Brummies should have a copy.
 
Hi Peter, Thankyou for your compliments regarding Birmingham - A History In Maps

Right up to handing over the completed work to the publishers, (ready for printing) the most difficult task was the segmenting of the finished maps, maximising the page sizes that we had been set by the History Press, (publishers). The next size up not only would have effected the target RRP, but restricted the book to where it could have been displayed as it would not have been able to fit on the standard display shelves in the bookshops.

You are absolutely right about John Pigott Smiths monumental work, 4 very large sheets, each detailed down to the very gardens (I do mention him in my book).

If all goes to plan, and I will try, we may be re-publishing this fascinating and detailed map with Birmingham Archives this year, (along with other planned projects), I promise to keep the forum up to date.

In January we will be presenting the main Birmingham Historic Plans in a display (large 40x30 format) at an exhibition at Birmingham Central Library - I will post the date as soon as I can.

Again thanks for your valuable comments,

Paul Leslie Line
 
Hi Mike,

Please can you let members know that there is an exhibition of large format (40 x 30 ) plans of Birmingham now on show at Birmingham Central Library.

We have decided to do the exhibition in two stages, the first available from this week are up to the arrival of the railways.

Comprising -

Panel 1 -
A rare map of Anglo - Saxon Britain by John Speed
The County map of Warwickshire 1603

Panel 2 -
1553 Conjectural plan of Birmingham by Hill
1731 Plan of Birmingham by Wesley

Panel 3 -
1750 Plan of Birmingham by Bradford
1778 Plan of Birmingham by Hanson

Panel 4 -
1810 Borough Survey by Kempson
1832 Plan of Birmingham by James Drake
1836 Map of Birmingham and the Black Country

In addition we are shortly to commence an ongoing project with Birmingham Archives and Heritage that will see the availability of much more material available for easier and clearer access.

Regards

Paul - mapseeker
 
For Michael Portillo fans! - a new book from Mapseeker - Bradshaw's Railway Atlas Of Great Britain and Ireland 1852 - https://www.mapseeker.co.uk/books/
At the core of Bradshaw's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland is the exquisite reproduction of the very last detailed railway map that was produced by George Bradshaw, originally published in 1852 . . .
bradshaws-railway-atlas-1852.jpg
 
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