Donovan, Edward. The Natural History of British Insects. Volume 9 & 10.
Pub. for the Author and for F. and C. Rivington. 1800-1801 Two volumes bound as one. Royal 8vo. With title-pages for both volumes & 60 copper-engraved plates, 54 being hand-coloured. Minor scattered foxing, largely confined to tissue guards, o/w. contents very clean & in fine condition. All edges of text block marbled. Original half-red leather over marbled boards rubbed in places. Binding firm and in very good condition. With bookplate of “Thomas Johnston, ‘Nunquam non paratus’” to front paste-down.
Volumes 9 and 10 bound here as a single volume, comprising Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Aptera and Vorticella.
£395.00 [ref: 51982]

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Edwards, James. The Hemiptera-Homoptera (Cicadina and Psyllina).
Pub. Reeve. 1896 pp.xii, 271 with 2 uncoloured and 28 hand-coloured plates. Binding stretched at plate 9 but still tight. Bound in half morocco with marbled boards with some wear to top of spine. All plates clean except plate 30 has a very few faint spots of foxing. This is the scarce large paper coloured edition.
£225.00 [ref: 40368]

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Frohawk, F.W. Natural History of British Butterflies. A complete, original, descriptive account of the life history of every species occurring in the British Islands, together with their habits, time of appearance, and localities.
1st. Ed. Pub. Hutchinson. [1914] Two volume set with 58 [of 60] full-page colour plates, a further 5 b/w. plates plus Appendix and list of Subscribers. Crown folio. Some scattered spotting, very largely confined to text, o/w. contents fine. With pencilled note to ffep. of Vol. 1 indicating plates 10 & 11 not bound in. Original blue cloth boards in thor. vg. condition.
Frohawk’s masterpiece and the first work to provide in illustration, all the stages of development of the butterflies featured.
£200.00 [ref: 63010]

Janson, E.W. British Beetles. Transferred from Curtis’ British Entomology.
1st. Ed. Pub. Bell and Daldy, London. 1863 pp.[ii], 58, [ii] plus 29 fine hand coloured plates illustrating 259 beetles. 4to. Hardback. Early twentieth century, printed, ownership label. Stitching a little stretched where text ends and plates begin. Very minor amount of spotting indeed, o/w. contents exceptionally clean and fine. Handsome, original quarter morocco over cloth boards with gilt lettering and decoration, lightly rubbed o/w. fine. A very pleasing copy in original condition.
The hand coloured illustrations are quite superb and a joy to behold.
£575.00 [ref: 66041]

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Kirby, W.F. European Butterflies and Moths.
Pub. Cassell and Company. 1898 pp.xlix, 427 with 61 hand coloured plates and 1 b/w. plate. 4to. Hardback. TEG. Occ. minor spotting o/w. contents exceptionally clean and fine. Modern crimson half morocco over crimson cloth, lettered in gilt to spine, all in fine condition. A most pleasing copy.
£325.00 [ref: 66039]

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Kirby, William and Spence, William An Introduction to Entomology: Or elements of the Natural History of Insects: with Plates.
3rd. Ed. Pub. Longman et al. 1818-1826 Four volume set with two portrait frontis., six hand-coloured plates, 24 b/w. plates and fold-out table. 8vo. Hardbacks. Occasional spotting to text, o/w. fine. Scattered spotting to some b/w. plates, less so to hand-col. plates. Vol. I bound in brown half-calf over marbled boards, Vols. II to IV in black half-calf over cloth boards (bound by J.D. Smith, Deptford Bridge), all in good to vg. condition.
£225.00 [ref: 62681]

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Macleay, William S. Horae Entomologicae: or Essays on the Annulose Animals. Vol. I., Part I and II.
1st. Ed. Printed for S. Bagster. 1819-1821 Bound in two volumes (all published) with three copper-engraved plates. 8vo. Hardback. With dedication from George Macleay (William’s brother) dated 1880 to verso of title-page in Vol. II (which also contains bookplate of Univ. of Aberdeen). Some spotting and quite minor amount of marking, o/w. contents fine. Early paper covered boards showing wear, more recently protected in clear (removable) plastic covers. Scarce.
Part I comprises ‘General Observations on the Geography, Manners and Natural Affinities of the Insects which compose the Genus Scarabaeus of Linnaeus; to which are added a few incidental Remarks on the Genera Lucanus and Hister of the same Author.’. Part II comprises ‘An attempt to ascertain the rank and situation which the celebrated Egyptian insect, Scarbaeus sacer, holds among organized beings.’. Macleay was a promoter of the Circular of Quinarian system of classification. Charles Darwin, who got to know Macleay after he returned from the Beagle voyage, tried to fit Quinarian ideas into his evolutionary ideas up to around 1845.
£395.00 [ref: 64615]

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Merian, Maria Sibylla. Butterflies, Beetles and other Insects. The Leningrad Book of Notes and Studies.
Ltd. Ed. Pub. McGraw-Hill International. 1976 Two volume set comprising text volume (pp.471) and solander box containing 120 loose colour plates and Notes for the Plates softback vol. as published. Folio. Contents fine. Both vols. bound in half calf over marbled boards, a trifle rubbed to extremities, o/w. fine. Housed in publisher’s slipcase. Copy No. 359 of 1,750 numbered sets.
A wonderful facsimile of the original which is held in the library of the Academy of Sciences in Russia. After completion of the facsimile, the plates were destroyed.
£425.00 [ref: 66566]

Moffett, Thomas. [Moffat, Mouffet or Muffet]. Insectorum sive minimorum Animalium Theatrum. Olim ab Edoardo Wottono, Conrado Gesnero, Thomaque Pennio inchoatum.
1st. Ed. 1st. Iss. Pub. London. 1634 pp.[xx], 326, [iv] with woodcuts throughout the text, last 4 leaves with woodcut illus. Royal 4to. Hardback. Title page professionally reinforced at gutter, lightly chipped to fore-edge. Overall, contents in nr. fine condition. Contemporary full-calf boards in thoroughly vg. condition, more recent spine in fine condition. A very pleasing copy indeed. One of three variant imprints, Lisney identifies this variant as the first issue given the appearance of ‘apud Benjam, Allen’ on the title page. Lisney 3, British Bee Books 25.
A very significant work indeed. A first edition, first issue, copy of the first book about insects published in Britain. Partly compiled from the writings of Edward Wotton, Conrad Gesner and Gesner's assistant Thomas Penny, Moffett's copiously illustrated treatise remained the ‘standard work’ on insects until the early 1700s.
£8,750.00 [ref: 57767]

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Morris, Rev. F.O. A History of British Moths.
6th. Ed. Pub. John C.Nimmo. 1903 Four volume set with 132 hand-coloured plates. 4to. Hardbacks. Minor spotting, one short closed marginal tear, o/w. contents fine. Parts uncut. Original green cloth boards with gilt moth emblem to front cover and gilt lettering to spine, all in vg. to thor. vg. condition.
£295.00 [ref: 60743]

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