Crossword Genius

County surveyor's first book (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gloss

'book' is the definition.
(gloss is a kind of book)

'county surveyor's first' is the wordplay.
'county' becomes 'glos' (abbreviation for Gloucestershire).
'surveyor's first' becomes 's' (1st letter of 'surveyor').
'glos'+'s'='GLOSS'

(Other definitions for gloss that I've seen before include "Polish - explanatory comment" , "Superficial appearance" , "Misleading explanation" , "Provide explanations" , "Render plausible" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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