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NAVAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION – GEOGRAPHICAL HANDBOOK SERIES.

£375.00

B[ook of] R[eference] 530 [-A, B] … China proper.

London: Naval Intelligence Division, July 1944-June 1945-July 1945..

Uncommon complete set of the British Admiralty reports on China compiled for Naval Intelligence. This set relating to China was but one of a series of comprehensive reports covering physical geography, history, peoples, modern history and administration, economic geography, ports and communications, that originated from a need in the First World War ‘to supply, by scientific research and skilled arrangement, material for the discussion of naval, military and political problems’ (preface). These were continued to be used during the Second World War but were found to be inadequate: ‘The present series of Handbooks … is an entirely new set of books, produced … by trained geographers drawn largely from the Universities, and working at sub-centres established at Oxford and Cambridge’ (preface). These China volumes were produced at the Cambridge sub-centre, and among the contributors Gwen Raverat (1885-1957), grand-daughter of Charles Darwin and one of England’s greatest wood-engravers, is credited with helping to draw the maps and diagrams.

The large folding map in the pocket of vol. I is Bartholomew’s 1944 publication of the 1:5,000,000 map prepared by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute (listed as map 70 in vol. I, Appendix IV, p. 503), showing relief with layer-colouring in shades of green and brown, roads and caravan routes in red, the Great Wall, railways, rivers, sea routes and boundaries in black with the latter with over-laid purple, lakes and sea in blue with submarine contour with change of shade, large cities shaded in black.

B[ook of] R[eference] 530 [-A, B] … China proper.

London: Naval Intelligence Division, July 1944-June 1945-July 1945..

Uncommon complete set of the British Admiralty reports on China compiled for Naval Intelligence. This set relating to China was but one of a series of comprehensive reports covering physical geography, history, peoples, modern history and administration, economic geography, ports and communications, that originated from a need in the First World War ‘to supply, by scientific research and skilled arrangement, material for the discussion of naval, military and political problems’ (preface). These were continued to be used during the Second World War but were found to be inadequate: ‘The present series of Handbooks … is an entirely new set of books, produced … by trained geographers drawn largely from the Universities, and working at sub-centres established at Oxford and Cambridge’ (preface). These China volumes were produced at the Cambridge sub-centre, and among the contributors Gwen Raverat (1885-1957), grand-daughter of Charles Darwin and one of England’s greatest wood-engravers, is credited with helping to draw the maps and diagrams.

The large folding map in the pocket of vol. I is Bartholomew’s 1944 publication of the 1:5,000,000 map prepared by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute (listed as map 70 in vol. I, Appendix IV, p. 503), showing relief with layer-colouring in shades of green and brown, roads and caravan routes in red, the Great Wall, railways, rivers, sea routes and boundaries in black with the latter with over-laid purple, lakes and sea in blue with submarine contour with change of shade, large cities shaded in black.

3 volumes, octavo (215 x 138mm). Vol. I Physical Geography, History and Peoples: xvi, 542 pp., 122 maps and diagrams, 143 plates, large folding map in pocket at end; vol. II Modern History and Administration: xii, 370 pp, 35 maps and diagrams 64 plates; vol. II Economic Geography, Ports and Communications: xiv, 653 pp. 94 maps and diagrams, including a folding map of Shanghai Harbour, 160 plates. (Faint occasional scattered spotting mainly confined to title-pages and final leaf of vol. III, slight cracking of textblock in vol. I between pp.xvi-1, last few leaves of vol. I faintly dogeared.) Original green cloth gilt (spines faded, extremities lightly rubbed, slightly more heavily to upper joint of vol. I with tiny loss, a few corners slightly bumped).

Provenance: Andover Boys Secondary School (ink stamps and neat ink classmarks to front pastedowns).