The British colonies. The British possessions in Africa Div. VII [spine title]

London: The London Printing and Publishing Company, n.d., 1853. First edition, 4to, pp. 11, [1], 208; text printed in double column, engraved portrait frontispiece of Sir Ralph Abercrombie by W. Finden after Hoppner; 4 double-page Tallis maps hand-colored in outline with vignette illustrations, of Cape Colony; Natal and Kaffraria; western Africa; and the islands of the Atlantic - Bermuda, Madeira, Azores, and Cape Verde; tables in the text; bound in the publisher's original bright red blind-stamped florally decorated and textured cloth; gilt cover national symbol and title, spine titles gilt and decorated. Binding with some edge wear; maps and text block in very good condition. Pages 1-[12] consist of a list of subscribers and a "Home-Colonial Directory of Manufacturers, Warehousemen, &c." alphabetically organized and with description of good services on offer. The 4 maps are engraved by J. Rapkin. Maps are decorated with vignettes by H. Warren and H. Winkles, engraved by J. Rogers, W. Lacey, G.R. Manwaring, and W. Wrightson. A history and chronology of the British involvement in the British colonies as given in the title; OCLC notes that an illustrated and engraved title page appears only in Vol. 1 of this series of works by R. Montgomery Martin, Esq., (c. 1803-1868), the "late treasurer to the Queen at Hong Kong and member of Her Majesty's Legislative Council in China." Robert Montgomery Martin's History of the British Colonies was first published in 1834-5, and "occupies five volumes and slightly more than 3,000 loosely-printed octavo pages. It offered the first comprehensive account of the globe-spanning version of the British empire which had taken shape in the course of the Napoleonic wars, placing India and Canada under the same umbrella as Malta and Gozo." This "history" went through several iterations, the last being The British Colonies issued in the 1850s which boasted a quite impressive list of subscribers, including the Queen, the Earl of Derby, and the third Earl Grey" (see Alex Middleton, Robert Montgomery Martin and the origins of 'Greater Britain' at ora[dot]ox[dot]ac[dot]uk).