Green cloth binding with gilt title. One volume rebound. Dimensions are for one volume.

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These are two distinct books, the earlier edition being rebound, the later edition is in its original boards. Both books have good-to-fine interiors and present an excellent snapshot of their historical time. 

Pigot’s Directory was a major British directory started in 1814 by James Pigot. Pigot’s Directories covered England, Scotland, and Wales in the period before official Civil Registration began and are a valuable source of information regarding all major professions, nobility, gentry, clergy, trades and occupations including taverns and public houses and much more are listed. There are even timetables of the coaches and carriers that served a town. Parishes are listed for each area with useful information including the number of inhabitants, a geographical description and the main trades and industries of the area or town.

James Pigot (1769 – 15 Feb 1843) was a British publisher of directories, and a pioneering publisher of trade directories. He was born in Macclesfield. In 1811 he began publishing trade directories for Manchester, competing with the firm of R. & W. Dean but later joining with them in 1815 to produce Pigot & Dean’s Manchester and Salford Directory. He began publishing The Commercial Directory in 1814, and expanded to other cities, including London in 1823. He brought his son into his firm Pigot & Co., but his son died in 1840. He made his apprentice Isaac Slater a partner into the firm, which became Pigot & Slater. The titles of the directories varied from New Commercial Directory or National Commercial Directory, and finally Royal National and Commercial Directory and Topography.

His company stopped producing directories for London and the Home Counties after 1840 in the face of fierce competition from the firm of Kelly & Co. Pigot died in 1843, and Slater continued publishing directories on his own (after 1852 only for northern England, Scotland, and Ireland). After Slater’s own death in 1883, the company was bought by Kelly & Co. in 1892. Pigot is buried in St. John’s Church, Deansgate, Manchester (without an epitaph).