Book excerpt: An early street map of London published a century and a half ago so that passengers in Hansom cabs could check that they were being taken on the shortest route. It shows street names, prominent buildings, docks, factories, canals and the earliest railways in minute detail. Beyond the built up area can be seen the orchards and market gardens of Chelsea and Southwark, the marshes of the Isle of Dogs and the outlying villages of Earls Court, Kentish Town and Bow. Bound in a hardcover jacket. Each map is accompanied by an illustrated booklet which was produced to accompany the original edition and together they provide a fascinating glimpse into life in London a century ago.