DORSETSHIRE PHOTOGRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED

POUNCY, J. DORSETSHIRE PHOTOGRAPHICALLY ILLUSTRATED. Four parts in three volumes, complete. London: Bland & Long; Dorchester, John Pouncy, (1857). Oblong folio. Publish grey cloth. Lithographic title page, (4) pages of introduction (38) pages of letterpress; (40) pages of letterpress, (2) pages advertisement and subscript list; (80) pages of letterpress, (2) pages of advertisement and subscription list; 79 photolithographic plates including 1 double-page. First, and only, edition, original subscribers copy. [Gernsheim, page 546; McLean, Victorian B Design and Colour Printing, page 128]. A rare and important book in the history of the book, being the first and onl English book illustrated by photolithography. McLean wrote, "What Pouncy had achieve was to make photographs permanent. The long exposures still necessar 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 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 fiv copies cited by OCLC as being in American libraries. Many of the country hou shown here have since been demolished. In his announcement for the book, Pou promised a fifth and sixth part, but neither was ever printed. It was an expensive publication, sold at one pound, one shilling, per part. Some spott to plates as usual.