Geographical Handbook Series

Description:

The Naval Intelligence Division, Geographical Handbook Series was produced during the Second World War, between December 1941 to June 1946. A complete set consists of 31 titles, in 58 volumes. This monumental project produced the largest single body of geographical writing published to date. The books were written to provide information for the Allied war effort and were initially treated as confidential. A statement on the verso of the title page reads ‘This book is for the use of persons in H.M. Service only and must not be shown, or made available, to the Press or to any member of the public.’ Ten years after the war, some remaining copies were made available for sale. Due to the sensitive nature of the publication, surviving complete sets are rare especially those with 5,146 ‘Maps and diagrams’, 6,397 photographs and 47 folded maps housed in rear pockets. The Royal Geographical Society library is one organisation to hold such a set.

The series was written by two teams of researchers, one based in Cambridge and the other at Oxford. Sir Henry Clifford Darby (1909-1992), was commissioned as an officer in the Intelligence Corps before taking charge of the Geographical Handbook Centre in Cambridge in 1941 as Editor-in-Chief. Prof Kenneth Mason (1887-1976) was his counterpart in Oxford. A total of about fifty trained geographers ‘drawn largely from the Universities’, were employed in both Centres. The Oxford centre prepared 17 Handbooks (28 volumes) and the Cambridge centre 14 handbooks (30 volumes).

The preface by J.H. Godfrey, Director of Naval Intelligence printed in the volumes, states ‘The purpose of the books is primarily naval. They are designed first to provide, for the use of Commanding Officers, information in a comprehensive and convenient form about countries which they may be called upon to visit, not only in war but in peace time’. He notes that he hopes that the Army, the Royal Air Force and other Government Departments will find these handbooks valuable.

The series became a sophisticated regional geography (with much historical geography) of the countries concerned, illustrated with maps, photographs and statistical appendices. The general arrangement of each title includes: physical geography, history, (peoples) and administration, economic geography and Ports and communications. Contributors to each volume are listed, including women (who were involved in the production of the many maps).

The historical, geological and topographic accounts remain relevant and will be of particular interest to historians and military enthusiasts, geographers and cartographers.

The series was issued in uniform style with plain coloured cloths. The top of the spine states ‘B.R.’ (for ‘Book Reference’) and a number.

Albania, B.R. 542 (1945, Oxford); Algeria, B.R. 505 (2 vols 1944, Oxford); The Belgian Congo, B.R. 522 (1944, Oxford); Belgium, B.R. 521 (1944, Cambridge); China Proper, B.R. 530-530B (3 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol. 2, 1945; vol. 3,1945) (Cambridge); Corsica, B.R. 508 (1942, Cambridge); Denmark, B.R. 509 (1944, Cambridge); Dodecanese, B.R. 500 (1943, Oxford); France, B.R. 503-503C (4 vols: vol. 1, 1942; vol. 2, 1942; vol. 3, 1942; vol. 4, 1942) (Cambridge); French Equatorial Africa and Cameroons, B.R. 515 (1942, Oxford); French West Africa, B.R. 512, 512A (2 vols: vol. 1, 1943; vol. 2, 1944) (Oxford); Germany, B.R. 529-529 (4 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol. 2, 1944; vol. 3, 1944; vol. 4. 1944) (Cambridge); Greece, B.R. 516, 516A, 516B (3 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol.2, 1944; vol. 3, 1944) (Cambridge); Iceland, B.R. 504 (1942, Cambridge); Indo-China, B.R. 510 (1943, Cambridge); Iraq and the Persian Gulf, B.R. 524 (1944, Oxford); Italy, B.R. 517-517C (4 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol.2, 1944; vol. 3, 1944; vol. 4 1945) (Oxford); Jugoslavia, B.R. 493, 493A, 493B (3 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol. 2, , 1944; vol. 3. 1944) (Cambridge); Luxembourg, B.R. 528 (1944, Cambridge);Morocco, B.R. 506(2 vols: vol.1, 1942; vol. 2, 1942) (Oxford); Netherlands, B.R. 549 (1944, Cambridge); Netherlands East Indies, B.R. 518, 518A (2 vols: vol. 1, 1944; vol. 2, 1944) (Cambridge); Norway, B.R. 501, 501A (2 vols: vol. 1, 1943; vol. 2, 1943) (Oxford); Pacific Islands, B.R. 519-519C (4 vols: vol. 1, 1945; vol. 2, 1943; vol. 3, 1944; vol. 4, 1945) (Cambridge); Palestine and Transjordan, B.R. 514 (1943, Oxford); Persia, B.R. 525 (1945, Oxford); Spain and Portugal, B.R. 502 (4 vols: vol. 1, 1945; vol. 2, 1945; vol. 3, 1945; vol. 4, 1945) (Oxford); Syria, B.R. 513 (1943, Oxford); Tunisia, B.R. 523 (1945, Oxford); Turkey, B.R. 507, 507A (2 vols: vol. 1, 1942; vol. 2, 1942) (Oxford) Western Arabia and the Red Sea, B.R. 527 (1946, Oxford).

Condition

58 vols. 8vo, orig. cloth, gilt title to spine and front boards, spines faded. Iraq and the Persian Gulf lacks one folding map (Communications). Ex-library (Imperial Agricultural Bureaux).