The Land of Britain - The Report of The Land Utilisation Survey of Britain, Part 4 - Orkney

1939. First edition. Title-page, pages numbered 191 to 263, and 18 figures in the text. Loosely inserted at the end of the book are plans relating to Orkney that have probably come from another publication. The Land Utilisation Survey of Britain was a comprehensive survey of land use in Great Britain, instigated in the 1930s by L. Dudley Stamp (1898-1966), who was one of the best known British geographers of the 20th century. The survey was the first such comprehensive survey in Britain since the Domesday Book survey in the 11th century. Mapping was carried out using volunteers including colleagues, students, school teachers and pupils, on a scale of 6 inches to a mile. Publication of maps and reports began in 1933 and was completed in 1948, after interruption by World War II. The present report is devoted to Orkney, and has been prepared by A.C. O'Dell, who was Lecturer in Geography at Birkbeck College, University of London. The book is bound in the original card covers which have been covered by a previous owner with patterned sticky-backed plastic, and so any titling on the covers is no longer visible. It is in very good condition with shelf wear and some light soiling to the covers. The top corners of the covers are lightly creased and curled and the spine is slightly faded with a small bit of damage at the spine ends. The contents are secure and clean with some curling to the top corner of the first few pages and a small ink stain on the fore edge of the first dozen or so pages. A name, place and date has been written near the top corner of the front free endpaper.…