Collins Bartholomew, formerly John Bartholomew and Son, is a long-established
map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
publish
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
ing company originally based in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
, Scotland. It is now a subsidiary of
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
.
History
George Bartholomew (8 January 1784–23 October 1871, active from 1797) worked as an
engraver for
Daniel Lizars Sr.
Daniel Lizars (1754–1812) was an 18th-century Scottish engraver, map-maker and publisher. He was patriarch to the famous Lizars family. He is remembered for his views of Edinburgh.
Life
He was born in Portsburgh, off the Grassmarket in s ...
in Edinburgh. His son,
John Bartholomew Senior (1805–9 April 1861), began working independently in about 1826, founding the firm that bears his name. Notable work included Black’s ''General Atlas'' of 1846.
John Bartholomew
John Bartholomew (25 December 1831 – 29 March 1893) was a Scottish cartographer.
Life
Bartholomew was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, John Bartholomew Sr., started a cartographical establishment in Edinburgh, and he was educated ...
Junior (1831–1893) and his son
John George Bartholomew
John George Bartholomew (22 March 1860 – 14 April 1920) was a Scottish cartographer and geographer. As a holder of a royal warrant, he used the title "Cartographer to the King"; for this reason he was sometimes known by the epithet "the P ...
(1860–1920) brought the firm to prominence as the renamed '
Edinburgh Geographical Institute
The Edinburgh Geographical Institute was founded as a map publishers by famed Scottish geographer and cartographer John George Bartholomew in 1888.
History
Around 1826 John Bartholomew Sr. opened a firm dedicated to the production of maps cal ...
'. In particular, J.G. Bartholomew made the firm a publisher of its own works, rather than a producer of maps for other firms.
John (Ian) Bartholomew
John Bartholomew, generally known as Ian Bartholomew (12 February 1890 – 9 February 1962) was a Scottish cartographer and geographer.
Life
John was the son of John George Bartholomew and Janet MacDonald. He was educated at Merchiston Castl ...
(1890–1962) oversaw the ''
Times Survey Atlas of the World'' (1922) and later the Mid-Century Edition of the ''
Times Atlas of the World
''The Times Atlas of the World'', rebranded ''The Times Atlas of the World: Comprehensive Edition'' in its 11th edition and ''The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World'' from its 12th edition, is a world atlas currently published by HarperCol ...
'' (1955–60).
The cartographic tradition continued into a fifth family generation.
John Christopher Bartholomew
John Christopher Bartholomew (or J.C. Bartholomew) (15 January 1923 – 16 January 2008) was a Scotland, Scottish cartography, cartographer and geographer.
Life
Bartholomew was the son of Marie Antoinette Sarolea, daughter of Charles Saroléa ...
(1923–2008) shared his ancestors' fascination with the natural sciences, their meticulous standards and spirit of enterprise, and oversaw the publication of some of the most detailed maps of the last century, including ''The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World'' (1967). His brother Robert, who was trained in printing, soon became the production director, and another brother, Peter, who was trained in accountancy, was first appointed as managing director and later became executive chairman.
In 1989, the firm merged with the
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
publisher
Collins
Collins may refer to:
People Surname
Given name
* Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat
* Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration
* Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...
, as part of the
multinational HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
Publishers under
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
's
News International
News Corp UK & Ireland Limited (trading as News UK, formerly News International and NI Group) is a List of newspapers in the United Kingdom, British newspaper publisher, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the American mass media Conglomerate (c ...
corporation. A range of maps and
atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...
es are still being published today under the imprint of HarperCollins, but the name of Bartholomew survives as the trade name of HarperCollins'
cartographic
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
databases (Collins Bartholomew) based in
Bishopbriggs
Bishopbriggs ( sco, The Briggs; gd, Achadh an Easbaig) is a town in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the northern fringe of Greater Glasgow, approximately from the Glasgow city centre, city centre. Shires of Scotland, Historically in ...
, Glasgow. The
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
mapping arm (formerly Geographia Ltd.) was based in
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
until that office was closed in 2009 and remaining staff made redundant in 2010. Collins Geo in Bishopbriggs continues to handle world mapping, British Isles map products, and sales of geographical data.
Publications
Bartholomew was the only survivor of a number of important map publishers in Scotland, and was known for a prolific output and variety of maps and atlases for academic, commercial and travel purposes, including the popular 62-sheet Half-Inch to One Mile map series of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, which transmuted into the 1:100,000 National map series in the 1970s. It was eventually discontinued owing largely to stiff competition from the state-financed
Ordnance Survey
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.
John Bartholomew Junior was credited with having pioneered the use of
hypsometric tints
Hypsometric tints (also called layer tinting, elevation tinting, elevation coloring, or hysometric coloring) are colors placed between contour lines to indicate elevation. These tints are shown as bands of color in a graduated scheme or as a co ...
or layer colouring on maps in which low ground is shown in shades of green and higher ground in shades of brown, then eventually purple and finally white. It is his son John George who is attributed with being the first to bring the name '
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
' into popular use as the name for the Southern Continent, and for the adoption of red or pink as the colour for the British Empire.
The firm's first major work as a publisher was ''The
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...
's Atlas of Scotland'' (1895), later called the ''Survey Atlas of Scotland,'' which was followed by the ''Survey Atlas of England and Wales'' (1903).
In 1922, the company was responsible for the production of a major new atlas for ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' newspaper: ''
The Times Survey Atlas of the World.'' This would later become ''
The Times Comprehensive Atlas'', which received a boost when a new
Millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
edition was published using digital map production technology for the first time. The atlas continues to be a 'must-have' for libraries, on account of its almost unrivalled size combined with a policy of detailed updating.
Another great Bartholomew reference atlas was the ''Citizen's Atlas of the World'', which ran through ten editions (1898–1952). Other publications include two volumes of the ambitious ''Physical Atlas: Meteorology'' (1899) and ''Zoogeography'' (1911), based on the landmark Berghaus ''Physikalischer Atlas.''
John Bartholomew & Son Ltd officially ceased to exist when it was de-registered at Companies House in 1995. A new company using the name John Bartholomew & Son Ltd (Companies House SC194433) was registered in Scotland on 18 March 1999. It is based at Hardengreen Business Park just outside Edinburgh, and is owned by former staff.
Relocation
The company was relocated from its offices in Duncan Street, Edinburgh, in 1995 to HarperCollins’ Glasgow offices in Westerhill Road, Bishopbriggs. Many long-serving staff left at that time. The Duncan Street office in Edinburgh had been built in 1911 using the imposing
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
façade of a former Bartholomew family home,
Falcon Hall
Falcon Hall was a large mansion home in Morningside, Edinburgh. It was built in 1780 by William Coulter, a wealthy hosier and baillie who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1808 until his death in 1810.
Falcon Hall was set on between ...
, and this now forms the frontage for a series of up-market
flats
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
created from the former offices. The works behind the offices were demolished and replaced by new blocks of flats, which were named by the builder after prominent Scottish writers who had no connection with Bartholomews or cartography. An unveiling ceremony was attended by the
Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a substantive title, style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a United Kingdom, British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of th ...
.
The departure of the company from Edinburgh after some 170 years was marked by an initiative of the
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...
and George Russell (not an employee) to arrange for the erection of a commemorative plaque with the cooperation of the last
John Bartholomew
John Bartholomew (25 December 1831 – 29 March 1893) was a Scottish cartographer.
Life
Bartholomew was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, John Bartholomew Sr., started a cartographical establishment in Edinburgh, and he was educated ...
.
Archives
The Maps Reading Room of the
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...
(which is located near the former Duncan Street offices) contains the extensive archives of the Bartholomew company, a product of a long and fruitful association between the two organisations. A book, still available from the company at its post-1995 address in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow (''Bartholomew - 150 Years''), details the history and achievements of Bartholomews’ up to the time of its 150th anniversary in 1976, not very long after the last of the
copperplate engravers retired and the company started to pioneer the use of
geographic information system
A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...
s (
GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...
) and
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as C ...
-generated mapping for its cartographic publishing and for the selling of map data.
Robert Gordon Bartholomew, of the sixth generation of cartographers, has extensively researched and documented the genealogy not only of his own branch of the family, but also of several other Bartholomew families. His work upholds the belief held by many Bartholomews that all Bartholomews of Scottish origin are related.
John G. Bartholomew built and inhabited "Overton House" in Ealing, London, now home of a lay centre (
Benedictine Study and Arts Centre).
External links
Collins Bartholomew official websitewit
a brief history of the Bartholomew firmBartholomew: A Scottish Family Heritage- site maintained by the family.
The Bartholomew Archive websiteat the National Library of Scotland has more details about the history of the firm and family, the contents of and access to the Archive, and selected publications.
Times World Atlases official websiteincluding
History and Heritage sectiondetailing landmark Times atlases
Collins Geothe successors of John Bartholomew and Son and publishers of Times atlases
* View th
and more information about the Bartholomew family; as well as many othe
has the landmark 1922 ''Times Survey Atlas of the World'' online, as well as many other maps and atlases.
{{Authority control
Book publishing companies of Scotland
News Corporation subsidiaries
Companies based in Edinburgh
Map companies of the United Kingdom
Scottish brands
1826 establishments in Scotland
British companies established in 1826
History of Edinburgh
Organisations based in East Dunbartonshire
Publishing companies established in 1826