CURTIS, John (1791-1862)
Lot 196

CURTIS, John (1791-1862)

A Guide to an Arrangement of British Insects. London: printed for the author, 1829.

Closed12 July 2023

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GBP 756

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CURTIS, John (1791-1862)
A Guide to an Arrangement of British Insects. London: printed for the author, 1829.
First edition of a seminal work cataloguing all the known-insects found in Britain and Ireland in the 19th century. An interleaved and annotated copy, the identity of the contemporary collector is unknown. However, they were in correspondence with high-profile naturalists including James Charles Dale and Joseph Dalton Hooker, with a particular annotation mentioning Dale’s discovery of the Lulworth Skipper butterfly. The catalogue was originally published in 8 parts; 1-32 in 1829, 33-128 (date unknown) and 161-256 in 1831. B.M.(N.H.) VI, 243; Freeman, 876.

Octavo (205 x 130mm). Half title, title, leaf of preface and 256 numbered columns of insect names (very occasional faint spotting and creasing). Contemporary half vellum (extremities rubbed and bumped, vellum lightly soiled). Provenance: contemporary annotation throughout.