Butler, Rev. Charles. The Feminine Monarchie: or The Historie of Bees. Showing their admirable Nature, and Properties, their Generation, and Colonies, their Government, Loyalty, Art, Industry, Enemies, Warres, Magnanimitie, etc.
Facsimile. Pub. NBB. 1985 Unpaginated. 8vo. Bookplate of John Kinross to front pastedown. A super facsimile of the 1623 edition of this monumental work. Some spots of light discolouration to gilt decorated, wheat coloured, cloth boards o/w. a fine hardback with matching publisher's slipcase in thor. vg. condition showing some mottling.
Originally published in 1609 and running to four editions, this is a facsimile of the second edition of 1623, preferred since it contains the madrigal which attempted to describe the piping of a queen bee at swarming time. ‘This is the greatest early British bee book and contains the best account of Skep beekeeping which is available today. Butler (1571-1647) was one of the many clergymen who wrote about bees.’ Harding, 18.
£40.00 [ref: 69050]

Butler, Rev. Charles. (& Owen, John (Ed.)). The Feminine Monarchie or The History of Bees. Showing their admirable nature and properties, their generation and colonies, their government, loyalty, art, industry, enemies, wars, magnanimitie, together with the right ordering of them from time to time: And the sweet profit arising thereof.
Facs. Ed. Pub. Northern Bee Books. 2017 pp.iv, 140 with b/w. photo. and illus. 8vo. A new softback.
This is the first new edition of ‘The Feminine Monarchie’ to be published for over 300 years. It contains a new introduction, as well as annotations and a glossary of the more obscure words used by Butler. The spelling and grammar have been modernised throughout. This edition has been prepared from the 1623 edition, which includes Butler’s famous ‘Bees Madrigal’.
£16.50 [ref: 52275]

Butler, Rev. Charles. (& Owen, John (Ed.)). The Feminine Monarchie or The History of Bees. Showing their admirable nature and properties, their generation and colonies, their government, loyalty, art, industry, enemies, wars, magnanimitie, together with the right ordering of them from time to time: And the sweet profit arising thereof.
Facs. Ed. Pub. Northern Bee Books. 2017 pp.iv, 140 with b/w. photo. and illus. 8vo. Fine softback with two small marks to top-edge of textblock.
This is the first new edition of ‘The Feminine Monarchie’ to be published for over 300 years. It contains a new introduction, as well as annotations and a glossary of the more obscure words used by Butler. The spelling and grammar have been modernised throughout. This edition has been prepared from the 1623 edition, which includes Butler’s famous ‘Bees Madrigal’.
£12.50 [ref: 69043]

Chomel, Noel. A Dissertation on Bees.
Fac. Pub. Elmwood. 1982 pp.8. 4to. A nr. fine softback. Scarce.
This dissertation by Noel Chomel (1632-1712) first appeared in the ‘Dictionaire oeconomique’ published in Paris in 1709. This extract is based on the English edition which had been revised by Richard Bradley (1688-1732) and published in Dublin in 1727. The content is very charming, talking about honey bees and beekeeping. Chomel talks about hives being led by a king.
£12.50 [ref: 54596]

Columella, Lucius Junius Moderatus. Of Husbandry. In Twelve Books: And His book Concerning Trees.
1st. Eng. Ed. Pub. A. Millar 1745 pp.xiv, 600 plus index. Intermittent foxing. Hinges neatly repaired. Red sprinkle decoration to fore-edges of text block. More recent quarter calf spine added to contemporary boards showing some rubbing. With contemporary armorial bookplate of Thomas Boswall Esq. of Blackadder and with ‘W. Phorson’s Circulating Library’ label (c.1800) to front paste-down. Contents very clean, with a little scattered foxing. Overall a vg. copy. (Harding 98).
Columella is considered the most important writer on agriculture of the Roman Empire. ‘Of Husbandry’ is a fascinating work with chapters dedicated to beekeeping, the husbandry of land, vines, livestock, poultry and fruit growing. ‘Columella, a Spaniard [believed of Roman parentage], wrote about a century after Virgil. He saw service in the East and then settled on an estate near Rome. Probably a commercial beekeeper, he gave very detailed and well conceived advice on many aspects of apiary management, including requeening, uniting and migratory beekeeping’ (Fraser).
£775.00 [ref: 46415]

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Hill M.D., John. The Virtues of Honey. In preventing many of the worst disorders and in the certain cures of several others.
2nd. Ed. Facsimile. c.1980 pp.54. 8vo. An unbound facsimile copy of the second edition, 1759, corrected by hand where the copying process missed letters/a word. With the title page being a transcript from the third edition of 1760. Fine condition. Harding 113.
This copy is derived from a photocopy of the 2nd edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ which was held in the IBRA library. The collator of this copy has added some interesting bibliographical information.
£22.50 [ref: 55760]

Hill, Sir J. The Virtues of Honey.
Pub. Elmwood Books. 2004 pp.40 with line drawings. 8vo. Spine very gently sunned o/w. fine softback.
Sir John Hill was born in Peterborough in 1716 and the first edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ was published in 1759. This new edition is illustrated by Laurie Croft.
£7.00 [ref: 68902]

Hill, Sir J. The Virtues of Honey.
Pub. Elmwood Books. 2004 pp.40 with line drawings. 8vo. Minor mark to front cover o/w. a fine softback.
Sir John Hill was born in Peterborough in 1716 and the first edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ was published in 1759. This new edition is illustrated by Laurie Croft.
£7.00 [ref: 68905]

Hill, Sir J. The Virtues of Honey.
Pub. Elmwood Books. 2004 pp.40 with line drawings. 8vo. Fine softback.
Sir John Hill was born in Peterborough in 1716 and the first edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ was published in 1759. This new edition is illustrated by Laurie Croft.
£7.50 [ref: 68906]

Hill, Sir J. The Virtues of Honey.
Pub. Elmwood Books. 2004 pp.40 with line drawings. 8vo. A hint of sunning to front cover o/w. a fine softback.
Sir John Hill was born in Peterborough in 1716 and the first edition of ‘The Virtues of Honey’ was published in 1759. This new edition is illustrated by Laurie Croft.
£7.00 [ref: 68903]