1635 SIMONS, Mathew

A bookseller in 1635 Mathew Simons (or Matthew Simmons[1], fl.1635-54) became a printer in 1641. He is notable as the publisher of John Milton’s works and a popular news-sheet from 1649. His only cartographic work was A Direction for the English Traviller, the earliest English road book with maps. The book contained thumbnail maps copied from the set of playing cards issued in 1590 by Bowes combined with triangular distance tables invented and published by John Norden in his Intended Guyde for English Travailers (cf). Rivers form the main feature of the maps and towns were indicated only by initial letters. There were later editions on a larger scale from 1643 onwards by Thomas Jenner and John Garrett (cf). Although he had sold the plates to Jenner by 1643, Simons continued to print them. Later his wife, Mary Simons, printed for Jenner and his son, Samuel, for Garrett.

An attractive roundel frontispiece map of Britain included in this work was signed by William Kip (and by H W as Exc - no doubt Hans Woutneel). The county maps, 40 x 35 mm, (plate 100 x 100 mm), are exact copies of the Bowes’ map, although the letters are a little thicker, the rivers thinner, there are no hills and adjoining areas have been named. The towns are shown by letter and there are no roads.

A Direction for the English Traveller by Which he Shall be inabled to Coast about all England and Wales... Are to be sold by Mathew Simons at the Golden Lion in Ducke laine, Ao. 1635. Jacob van Langeren sculp.
London. Matthew Simmons. 1635 (BL)

For the second state, in 1636, a poorly engraved plate number is added (Ce), and for the third state, also in 1636, mileages from London added. (BL; BL). 

Illustration courtesy of Internet Archive. Original held by British Library. 

 

Devonshire in its third state. Note added mileages from London.

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[1] As Dr Almond has kindly pointed out, Skelton in County Atlases of the British Isles reproduces the title page to this work on plate 9a and the publisher writes his name Mathew Simons. The British Library has catalogued him as such, but many writers (e.g. Carroll 1996) use the name Matthew Simmons.