HUGH JOHNSON - The World Atlas of Wine. A Complete Guide to the Wines and Spirits of the World.

London, England, Mitchell Beazley, 1974. Ninth Printing, Binding: Cloth, Very Good/Fine/Very Good. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall 0855330023 Hardback 1,500 illustrations; 150 completely new and original maps in colour. Nearly 1,000 reproductions of labels of specially selected wines throughout the world. Wine-lovers - amateurs and professionals - have for decades longed for a comprehensive atlas of wine. The publication of this atlas, at once a vital reference work for the wine trade and a beautiful book for amateurs to treasure and consult, is an important landmark in the literature of wine. There is much more to learn from maps than merely where a vineyard is. Why is it there? What is singular about the site? How big is it? How does it relate to its famous neighbours and rivals? What is its soil? Its rainfall? How much of the sun does it see? The mapmaker can show you all the myriad little features of a landscape - the streams, the woodlands, the contours of the countryside - which conspire to make the difference between a Grand Cru and a humble vin du pays. The beautiful maps in this atlas were not born overnight. They are the result of years of design experimentation by Mr. Harold Fullard, Cartographic Director of George Philip, the British map printing and publishing company. The World Atlas of Wine includes, among other features, a full introductory guide to the growing and making of wine, together with advice on when and how to drink different wines from all over the world. It is the ultimate cellarman's bible. Illustrated. Very slight shelf wear and tiny tear to edge of D/J.