Thomas Moore - History of Devon

An incomplete set of monthly issues: including 17 hand-coloured engravings. A handsomely bound volume (blue morocco 3/4 binding, gilt relief, blue marbled papers) with the first 390 pages.

Colour Plates from Thomas Moore’s History of Devonshire.

Jennings’ views for the History of Devonshire written by Thomas Moore were all approx. 150 x 95 mm (w x h) not including any title, imprint or dedication and most are rotated to fit pages measuring 145 x 230 mm and printed one to a page. The following plates were copied from a volume in the author’s collection and are reproduced approx. 80%. A small amount of retouching has been carried out to remove the browning of the paper and improve contrast. The page size of this volume is 210 x 130 mm.

The copy in the author’s collection is a handsomely bound copy of History of Devonshire (spine title) previously belonging to Alexander MacLean of Coll (1753-1835) with his book plate. The volume has 46 plates bound in after the title page and before the text. This would correspond with Number 23 which appeared in July 1831 three months before the text to Volume I was completed (the final pages appearing in October 1831, Number 26). The author’s large paper copy (210 x 270 mm) has all the text of Volume I ending with the word FINIS on page 391. There is a completely different text setting and numerous differences to the text to the author’s 3 Volume small paper copy which corresponds exactly with the parts issue.

Alexander MacLean’s copy has title page and 46 views printed onto very fine thin paper. These have then been cut out and pasted onto thicker high quality paper with an embossed frame to fit around the plate (most are 225 mm in length but vary from 130 - 160mm in height). The first seventeen of these plates have additional hand colour.