Recording Britain (4 volume set)

Published by Oxford University Press, in association with The Pilgrims Trust, 1946-49, 1st editions. Each has red cloth boards with silver lettering to spines. Vols 1, 3 & 4 have dustwrappers, vol 2 does not. Each 10ins x 7.75ins. Volume one, 1946 : xi, (i), 224pp containing 105 full page illustrations. Volume two, 1947 : ix, (i), 219pp with 104 illustrations. Volume three, 1948 : ix, (i), 227pp with 104 illustrations. Volume four, 1949 : ix, (i), 238pp with 104 illustrations. The purpose of the project was to record the changing face of Britain - in particular buildings or views which the artists felt were likely to disappear, either from the effects of war or from the changes in lifestyle. 95 artists provided illustrations for these four volumes. Amongst them were John Piper, Barbara Jones, S.R. Badmin, Kenneth Rowntree, Clifford Ellis, Thomas Hennell, Michael Rothenstein, Rowland Suddably, Stanley Anderson, Martin Hardie and Sir William Russell Flint. The illustrations are grouped geographically by counties. Each illustration is faced by a page of text written by Arnold Palmer. Of this set, vol 2 has foxing to the endpapers otherwise the condition of the contents of all 4 volumes is VG. The dw's all have loss to the top & bottom of the spines. Vol one has a long closed tear across the front cover. Dw's G only. Nb combined weight is over 4kg pre-packing - please enquire for postage cost.