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When World War 1 ended there was a massive upsurge in cycling, rambling, rail & bus excursions and, for those with money, motoring.
Ellis Martin served in the Royal Engineers in WW1 sketching landscapes for the army. He joined Ordnance survey in 1919 & over the next 20 years until he retired in 1939 his cover art made O/S a national treasure that encouraged the population to get out & discover the country.
This cover cleverly incorporates an idyllic country landscape with four groups seeking it's pleasures: a hiker relaxing with his pipe & map, a sleek car, a group of cyclists and a coach with it's passengers heading into a country pub.
In a few years the quiet roads would be choked with lorries, cars, farm vehicles etc. Now the end of motoring is on the horizon & industrial farming & urban sprawl is reducing the remaining quiet lanes to isolated pockets.
The covers by Ellis Martin are icons to a way of life from the 1920's to the 1950's