The eagerly anticipated Historic Towns Atlas of York is only the second volume (after Windsor and Eton) in this series produced after a hiatus of around 30 years. Edited by Peter Addyman, the former Director of the York Archaeological Trust, it brings together specialist contributions by some of the most respected names in British urban history, including David Palliser and Sarah Rees Jones. Following the standard format of the European Historic Towns Atlas project, the volume consists of a substantial bound text and a sheaf of loose map sheets, presented in an attractive A3-format presentation case. The core of the volume is a beautifully executed redrawing of the 1852 5ft to 1 mile (1:1056) scale Ordnance Survey plan of the city, re-drawn and rendered at the European project's standard scale of 1:2500 and consistent symbology and style. This map serves as a base map for all other epochs depicted in the atlas, both literally as a background, and methodologically through the process of map regression.

Ten epoch maps drawn at 1:5000 depict the city in periods from c. AD 200 to 1836, each representing a careful work of synthesis and analysis of archaeological and historical evidence to create a representative summary of each era. All are drawn to the same consistent scale and accurate cartographic projection for comparison. The maps showing earlier epochs subtly and ingeniously reflect differing levels of certainty by, for example, showing built up areas as solid blocks of colour and gradient colours along streets, rather than individual property boundaries. Maps of York's parishes in 1852, and wards in 1835, also drawn to 1:5000, will be of particular use to social and economic historians. Along with the maps, nine sheets of full colour plates are also included, depicting both early maps and views, and modern aerial photography.

The introductory essays provide an excellent and accessible summary of York's history in around 70 comprehensively illustrated A3 pages. Each chronological section is subdivided into clear subsections; the earlier periods being divided chronologically or topographically, while the medieval and modern periods are divided thematically. Each section is written by a different specialist author and is heavily footnoted with references to the standard historical and archaeological publications on the city. The small maps within the text include both contextual maps of the city's growth or events such as the 1644 siege of York, and detailed plans of the evolution of particular buildings and precincts such as the Minster and Ouse Bridge. As a concise but comprehensive history, this text will undoubtedly serve as a standard reference work and introduction for many years to come; its balance of scholarly depth and synoptic overview make it particularly suitable for teaching, and use in considering York within comparative urban history. The final section of the book element of the publication is a comprehensive gazetteer of street names, churches, public and significant buildings, and some businesses such as mills, all with grid references to each of the relevant maps included in the atlas.

The large format and loose sheets of the publication, which are at one level an advantage, in allowing easy comparison, are also a substantial disadvantage, as university libraries have tended to consign it to special collections rather than open shelves, making the access for students difficult. The CD-ROM, while containing welcome PDF copies of many of the maps, now seems an anomaly in an age when it is increasingly difficult to find a computer with a suitable drive. Given that the British Historic Towns Atlas Trust now publishes their early volumes online as downloadable PDFs, it might have been hoped that at least the core digital components of this atlas could have been made available this way, as the Irish Historic Towns Atlas project has done for all of their atlases. Considered more broadly, when comparison, over time, and between cities, is the aim, a layers-based web viewer is undoubtedly desirable. Questions on the format of future atlases in the series must still be discussed, but there is no question that the York atlas is a tour de force of scholarship, and is recommended to all urban historians.