32 John Hinton 1748

John Hinton (fl.1745 d.1781) was a bookseller and publisher of who early on commissioned maps by Emanuel Bowen and Thomas Kitchin for the Large English Atlas but possibly pulled out of the venture because of a lack of capital (see 37). From 1747 John Hinton began publishing The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure (1747-1803); this later became The Universal Magazine (1804-1814) and The New Universal Magazine (1814-1815).

The Universal Magazine was Published Monthly according to Act of Parliament, for John Hinton, at the Kings-Arms in St Paul’s Church-Yard and usually then bound as two volumes per year; with Volume I covering June-December 1747. The county maps were among the best executed and most attractive of the magazine maps, many having decorative cartouches. Presumably Hinton planned to produce maps of all the counties leading to an English Atlas but only a few were printed, although there were over 50 different maps included over the frst 20 years.

In January 1749 the map of Devonshire appeared together with the first part of the text (on pages 36-40).¹ It was very much in the style of Emanuel Bowen. Other maps were engraved by Kitchin and Richard Seale. The magazine was well-produced and well managed but suffered greatly on John Hinton’s death. An arguably inferior second series of county maps by Benjamin Baker (57) was published in the same magazine beginning in 1791. Whereas the Hinton map has a baroque title frame and Arms of Exeter the later maps were more detailed though not as decorative.

Size 170 x 195 mm.    English Miles (15 = 27 mm).

A MAP of DEVON-SHIRE Drawn from the best Authorities. Imprints: Engraved for the Universal Magazine. (CaOS) and Printed for J. Hinton at the Kings Arms in St Pauls Church Yard London 1748. (CeOS). With The Arms of Exeter.