Edwards, A.C. & K.C. Newton, The Walkers of Hanningfield, Surveyors and Mapmakers Extraordinary.  London: Buckland Publications Ltd., 1984. ISBN 0-7212-0614-X. 30x21cm., 96pp., plus tables and 39 colored plates, cloth. (125 High Holborn, London WC1V 6QA, £35)

This work describes the careers of John Walker and his son, also named John, who flourished from about 1584 to 1616.  A number of their manuscript plans survive, each of which is described and discussed in detail.  The book serves as a counterweight to those who believe that Saxton was the be-all and end-all of English mapping. There were other mapmakers toiling away in the trenches.  The scholarly approach of the authors is interesting.  They analyze calligraphy and style differences in order to attribute a given map to father or son.  More interestingly, they analyze the frequency distribution of small house symbols to draw conclusions concerning architectural practices of the period.  Interesting though these aspects are, one is most struck by the beautiful printing, including superb typography and excellent color reproductions of the maps. This book will appeal to those interested in the nitty-gritty details of land surveying and mapmaking.

David C. Jolly, 1987