DORSETSHIRE PHOTOGRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED

    POUNCY, J.  DORSETSHIRE PHOTOGRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED.  Four parts in two volumes, complete.                                                  

London: Bland & Long; Dorchester, John Pouncy, (1857). Oblong small folio. Publishers grey cloth. Lithographic title page, (3) pages of letterpress, 78 photolithographic plates, each with its own leaf of letterpress, final leaf of letterpress with announcement and subscriber's list. First, and only, edition, original subscribers copy. [Gernsheim, page 546; McLean, Victorian Book Design and Colour Printing, page 128].

A rare and important book in the history of the book, being the first English book illustrated by photolithography.  McLean wrote, "What Pouncy had to achieve was to make photographs permanent.  The long exposures still necessary meant that people and animals could not be included, so to give the pictures verisimilitude and life, he drew them in" along with other details.  As such it was an important transitional technique, never repeated, leading to the transferring of untouched photographs to stone.  The book was published by subscription with only one hundred and four names listed.  There are only five copies cited by OCLC as being in American libraries.  Many of the country houses shown here have since been demolished.  In his announcement for the book, Pouncy promised a fifth and sixth part, but neither was ever printed.  It was an expensive publication, sold at one pound, one shilling, per part.  Armorial bookplate of William Pinney, Somerton Erleigh.  Some spotting to plates as usual and one leaf of text with some minor edge damage.  First volume rebacked preserving original spine as an overlay.

 

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