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Description

Very Early California Road Atlas by J.F. Hancock, the Author of the First Road Atlas of California.

Excellent early automobile atlas for California, produced by J.F. Hancock, the earliest publisher of California road maps.

The atlas includes seven folding maps (enumerated below) covering almost all of California. It follows the format of Hancock's previous road atlases, the first of which had two folding maps covering all of the roads in the state. Click here to see the first California road atlas, published by Hancock in 1907.

Interestingly, this road atlas apparently pre-dates the existence of reliable car roads between San Diego and Los Angeles, so far-southern California is not covered.

Most of the focus of the atlas is in the Bay Area and Northern California, but Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County each receive their own map.

Rarity and Editions

Evidently extremely rare, with his being the only known copy. OCLC locates no examples of the 1910 edition of this work. There are two examples of the 1909 edition. And one example of 1907. The 1909 edition might be a reissue of the 1907.

Condition Description
Tall octavo. Original printed cloth covers (with minor wear). Seven folding maps printed in black and red (some printed recto-verso). Profusion of illustrated advertisements. Early ink ownership inscription of "James Hadley" of Alameda.