(History, Cartography, Facsimile): The John Henry County Map of Virginia 1770

Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press , 1977. Fourteen inch folio in orginal brown, gilt-lettered slipcase, produced as a limited (unnumbered) edition of 500. Wright's introduction is nicely referenced, and the four loose maps sheets are all present. In spite of numerous criticisms (including those of Thomas Pownall), this is a major piece of Virginia cartographic history, as it was the first map to show the county boundaries within the state. Henry (Patrick Henry's father) was hoping his efforts would provide a greater monetary reward than they did, but the bad press dashed those hopes.Still, the map provided important social and economic information, and its deficiencies are perhaps no more severe than other contemporary maps. This is an uncommon facsimile production, in excellent condition (the interior has seen very little use, and the slipcase is remarkably clean, with only slight fading towards the open end).. Limited. Cloth.