Ancient Topography of London by J. T. Smith - £5.99

John Thomas Smith was born in 1766 and devoted his life to making detailed drawings of London and Westminster. A year after this book was published he was appointed Keeper of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum, a post he held until his death in 1833.

The frontis states "Not only views of buildings, which in many instances no longer exist, and for the most part were never before published, but some account of places and customs either unknown, or overlooked by the London Historians."

The book is equally divided between Sacred, Public and Domestic architecture. The detail on the drawings is stunning, and his prints are also alive with real people, recorded as they go about their daily business. He is particularly fond of depicting men working up ladders and disabled passers-by (presumably ex-servicemen from the Napoleonic wars).

There are descriptions of how things were built, who built them and where to get the best available materials. His xenophobia and other facets of his character inadvertently become apparent and the whole is entertaining and informative on many levels. A perfect companion to Lockie's Topography of London from 1810.

Click on the thumbnails below to see larger versions of four of the illustrations.

Sacred Architecture Leadenhall Chapel, May 1812

Public Architecture South-west view of Bethlem Hospital and London Wall, August 1814

Domestic Architecture North-east view of an old house lately standing in Sweedon's Passage, Grub Street, July 1791

Domestic Architecture Winchester Street, London Wall, May 1804

CAVEAT: I am proud of the high quality of everything on this site, but I did not make this book and do not want you to be even slightly disappointed. Whilst every one is new, in that it has never been used, they have all been stored in cardboard boxes for over 25 years and are not absolutely pristine. There are no defects, foxing or anything that affects readability, but some have a feint brown tint on the edge of some pages (not the face) where they were in contact with a slightly damp box and a very vague 'mustiness', commensurate with their age.

Reproductions of other such rare works are much more expensive and so the price allows for these tiny flaws. This is an opportunity to own a fascinating piece of London's history, but please click the photographs below to check before you buy. There is a limited number, once they're gone, they're gone.

Airing, ready to be checked

Occasional feint brown marks or tints (on the outside edge only) These are the worst cases

No foxing or defects on the text pages

No foxing or defects on the illustrations

* Royal Mail have dramatically increased overseas postage rates.
With apologies, this book is therefore now only available to UK residents.

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