Shell Guide to Cornwall

The Shell Guides were first published in the 1930s, edited by John Betjeman and sponsored by the Shell oil company. Following a hiatus during the war years, the series was relaunched in 1951. Each guide covered a specific county in a comprehensive but concise manner in a well illustrated gazetteer. The series was wound up in 1984, and since then it has become avidly collected.

Cornwall was the first in the series. Betjeman rather grandly claimed that his Cornwall guide had taken “the wind out of the sails of the other [guide] books by being unlike them.”

This copy as can be seen from the image has wear and marks to the cover. Pages dampstained.