W. and A.K. Johnston was one of the UK's major publishing houses during the 19th century.
Brothers William and Alexander Keith Johnston learned their trade working for the Scottish globe maker James Kirkwood. Subsequently they set up their own publishing business in Edinburgh. Their initial master stroke was to buy the the established Scottish publishing company, William Lizars. Lizars had expertise in making finely detailed engravings of natural history. As they gained expertise and scale, the Johnstons expanded into maps, atlases, globes and more.
The Johnston firm became well known for high quality, accurate maps and atlases. One of their more prestigious atlases was The Handy Royal Atlas. They dedicated it to His Royal Highness George, Prince of Wales.
Here are antiques maps from The Handy Royal Atlas for you to choose from. They are genuine antique maps, made in 1903.