Dartmoor: a Descriptive Poem, by N.T. Carrington, author of the Banks of Tamar ... With a preface and notes, by W. Burt,

John Duke COLERIDGE, 1st Baron Coleridge (1820-1894, compiler) - Nicholas Toms CARRINGTON & William BURT (authors).

Dartmoor: a Descriptive Poem, by N.T. Carrington, author of the Banks of Tamar ... With a preface and notes, by W. Burt, esq., secretary of the chamber of commerce, Plymouth; and eight vignettes and four views, illustrative of scenery, drawn and etched by P.H. Rogers, esq., Plymouth. London & Devonport: printed by Williams, published by Hatchard & Son, and by R. Williams, 1826. Octavo signed in 4s (10 x 6 1/2 ins; 254 x 165mm).  Pp. [iii-]cv[-cvii]; [1-]91[-92]; [95-]98-204; [1-4]  + 4pp. advertisements. 12 etched plates by P.H. Rogers, extra-illustrated with 26 albumen print photographs (each 4 x 3 3/4 inches approx.) mounted two to a page on 13 leaves, 21 with the locations identified in ink by a single manuscript hand, probably Coleridge. (Without front blank [perhaps a half-title?], some light spotting). 19th-century green and brown marbled sheep, the covers bordered with a gilt fillet, the spine in six compartments with raised band, red morocco lettering-piece in the second compartment, the others with repeat decoration in gilt, the date on a small red label at the foot of the spine, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt (some discolouration, particularly to spine, small splits to joints, small gouge to leather on lower cover).

Provenance: John Duke Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge (1820-1894, various inscriptions, two dated 1870); Bernard, Lord Coleridge (armorial bookplate, incorporating a view of the interior of the library at the Chanter’s House, Ottery St. Mary).

A unique copy of the first edition with a fine selection of early photographs of Dartmoor, apparently assembled by Lord Coleridge, and certainly from his library.

John Duke Coleridge, was the great-nephew of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. His family home was in Ottery St. Mary, but he had a great affection for Dartmoor and is known to have spent summers at Buckland Court the home of the Bastard family. The photographer has not been positively identified, but was clearly talented, and one possibility is that Lord Coleridge himself took the photographs. They can dated to the 1860s from their style and content, but also from the notes added by 'J.D.C.' (Lord Coleridge), two of which are dated 1870: this date can be taken as a 'no-later-than' date for the photographs.

The Harry Ransom Center have a collection of Lord Coleridge's papers - these include a "Note about photographs of Ottery St. Mary published by John Duke Coleridge, handwritten manuscript, 1 page, undated; note by Ernest Hartley Coleridge."