Stow, John “St. Paul’s Covent Garden.” Two maps and three engravings from "Survey of London"

John Stow  “St. Paul’s Covent Garden.”  Two maps and three engravings from Survey of London. 

London: John Strype, ca. [1720-1754].  Green Moroccan leather, with gilt tooling on spine and covers.  Marbled end papers with armorial book plate of Colonel Vesey with the motto "sub hoc signo vinces" on front pastedown. With some light transference of image in the prints of St Pauls.  Else, contents are very clean.

John Stow (1524/25–1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He was active in the first Society of Antiquaries, established in about 1586; he built up an extensive library of manuscript and printed historical sources, which became known to contemporaries as his "storehouse,” and which he was generous in making available to others. 

Circa 1560 he started upon his major work, the Survey of London, the work for which Stow is best known published in 1598. This was a work of chorography: a detailed ward-by-ward topographical and historical tour of the city, providing a unique account of its buildings, social conditions and customs. Following Stow's death, a fifth edition with interpolated amendments was published by John Strype in 1720; and a sixth by the same editor in 1754. Many editions followed which included revisions, additions, and enlargements, both by the original author and others including John Strype. The first well-illustrated edition, in which John Kip, among others, had a large hand. 

This book once belonged to John Robert William Vesey (21 May 1844 – 6 July 1903), 4th Viscount de Vesci, 5th Baron Knapton, 1st Baron de Vesci and a British Army officer. 

Maps:

• Richard Blome “A Mapp of the Parish of St. Paul's Covent Garden.”  Engraving.  12 x 7 1/8 (neatlines).  Map has been mounted to laid paper. 
• Richard Blome.  “The Wards of Farrington within and Baynard's Castle with its Divisions into Parishes.”  11 7/8  x 13 7/8 (neat line).  Engraving on laid paper tipped into binding. 

Prints:

• “The South Side of the St Paul's London Cathedral.”  9 14/ x 14 (image plus title).  Engraving by J. Kip on laid paper tipped into binding.  Light transference of image. 
• “The East end of the Cathedral Church of St Paul's London.”  13 x 11 (image plus title).  Engraving by J. Kip on laid paper tipped into binding.  Light transference of image.
• “The Front or West end of the Cathedral Church of St Paul's London.”  12 ¾ x 11 ¼ (image plus title).  Engraving by J. Kip on laid paper tipped into binding.  Light transference of image.