Barrett, Charles G. The Lepidoptera of the British Islands. A Descriptive Account of the Families, Genera and Species Indigenous to Great Britain and Ireland, their preparatory states, habits and localities.
1st. Ed. Pub. L. Reeve, London. [1892]-1907 Eleven volumes set. With 504 hand-coloured plates. Royal 8vo. Hardbacks. Some scattered foxing to fore-edges of text blocks, prelims., last plate of each volume and very occasionally elsewhere. O/w., contents in fine condition. Handsomely bound in original decorated, gilt lettered brown cloth, all in thor. vg. to fine condition. Bookplates of Sir Norman Lamont, 2nd Baronet of Knockdow; Scottish Liberal Party politician and one time Personal Private Sec. to Sir Winston Churchill.
The preferred royal octavo, illustrated, edition. A “Standard work on British butterflies and moths. Barrett (1836-1904) was among the first to illustrate the larvae of every species, as well as a significant number of aberrations.” (Salmon). Barrett’s collection of specimens was auctioned in 1906 and 1907. Many of the most important specimens were purchased by Lord Rothschild and they are now housed at the Natural History Museum in London.
£2,375.00 [ref: 56751]

Buckler, William, Stainton, H.T. (Ed.) & Porritt, G.T. (Ed.) The Larvae of the British Butterflies and Moths. Volumes I-IX.
1st. Ed. Pub. The Ray Society. 1886-1901 Nine volume set with 105 hand-coloured and 59 colour chromolithograph plates as published. 8vo. Hardbacks. TEG. Neat, contemporary ownership inscription of Robert M. Prideaux. Some leaves uncut. Very little spotting, o/w. contents fine. Original publisher’s decorated cloth all in vg. or thor. vg. condition. Spine of Vol. III professionally relaid, two volumes with some spine lean, one with some marking to boards.
The definitive work on the larvae of British Lepidoptera. The work was published posthumously, with vols I-V edited by H.T. Stainton and following his death, vols VI-IX were edited by G.T. Porritt.
£500.00 [ref: 61218]

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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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Duncan, James. British Butterflies. The Naturalist's Library. Entomology. Vol. III.
1st Ed. Pub. W.H. Lizars. 1835 pp.246, with portrait frontispiece, hand-coloured title-page, letterpress title-page and 34 plates (32 being hand coloured). 8vo. Hardback. Bookplate of E.L.J Ridsdale and his signature (dated 1863). Contents nr. fine. Hinges cracking and becoming disbound. Original cloth gilt-lettered spine in thor. vg. condition.
£120.00 [ref: 56054]

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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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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 Butterflies.
9th. Ed. Pub. Routledge. 1904 pp.viii, 234 with 79 hand-coloured plates, 2 b/w. plates illustrating equipment, plus addenda leaf. Large 8vo. Very minor amount of spotting, one section neatly reinforced internally, o/w. contents fine. Original decorated green cloth in vg. plus condition.
The plates in this edition were ‘specially corrected for this edition’ and all coloured by hand.
£150.00 [ref: 60283]

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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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Morris, Rev. F.O. A Natural History of British Moths.
3rd. Ed. Pub. John C. Nimmo. 1891 Four volume set with 132 hand-coloured plates. Large 8vo. Hardbacks. Neat ownership signature dated 1893. Very minor amount of spotting, o/w. contents fine. Original decorated green cloth in nr. fine / fine condition. A very pleasing set indeed.
Nearly 2,000 distinct specimens are illustrated in the hand-coloured plates. In their advert (1892) for this work, J.C. Nimmo said that this work ‘Accurately [delineates] every known species, with the English as well as the scientific names, accompanied by full descriptions, date of appearance, list of localities they haunt, their food in the caterpillar state, and other features of their habits and modes of existence, &c.’
£525.00 [ref: 58846]

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Prideaux, Robert M. Lepidoptera of the Wiesbaden District.
Manuscript. 1888 Handwritten manuscript of 84 pages, plus 12 pages of notes loosely inserted, with a fine pencil illustration of Gonepteryx Rhamni, the Common Brimstone. Large 8vo. Hardback. Contents fine. Bound in original cloth backed boards, rubbed on corners, o/w. vg. A unique work.
Prideaux was clearly very knowledgeable and compiled content for this insightful text over a long period, with observations dating back to 1820. Locations mentioned include Thal, Rheingau, Mainz, Baden Baden, Geisenhaum and further afield. He was systematic in approach and talks about when broods appear, host plants, where seen geographically and habitually, what may be used to attract butterflies, how the weather affects them and much more. He gives his own opinions and refers to source material. The work ends with a section entitled ‘Localities and Time of Appearance of Rhopalocera arranged according to the Calender’ in which he details the appearance of species by month.
£425.00 [ref: 60861]

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