Entomology

A History of the Fossil Insects in the Secondary Rocks of England, by Peter Bellinger Brodie, Van Voorst 1845. Purple publisher's cloth, little marked, faded, to spine.Loss of cloth to bottom quarter of spine. Solidly bound, 130 pages, 11 plates, one folding, list of subscribers includes Buckland, Owen and Murchison. A decent copy of an uncommon work.

On The British Insects of the Family Curculionidae Order Coleoptera, being an attempt to determine the species and to correct the nomenclature and synonymy of the indigenous curculionites; together with descriptions of many new species not hitherto recorded as British, By John Walton. A good copy of a rare work. Marbled boards, green half leather, spine colour darkened, red morocco label to spine. Little piece of leather detached from bottom of spine.

120 pages. 1 plate as frontispiece. Pencil note to front endpaper discusses publishing history. Dated 1844 it is actually 1852. The work appeared, I believe first as a collection of papers in the Annals of Natural History. Bookplate to front pastedown. Only three institutional holdings I think; Oxford, Museum of Natural History and Newcastle.

A Catalogue of British Insects, by Rev. F.O. Morris . A rare publication of Van Voorst 1865, though the publisher's name struck out and replaced with Longman's. I think that both publisher's published the work in the same year, Longman's being longer. this is the 56 page Van Voorst version, though it lacks pages 51/52. Red leather binding with gilt titling to spine.

This is a particularly interesting copy. It bears the bookplate of Charles Mackechnie Jarvis, engineer and naturalist and his pencilled note to the effect that he bought it from Quaritch in 1973. the copy was originnaly in the library of H. Moncreaff of Portsmouth, who appears to have been an amateur naturalist. The text is interleaved with leaves upon which he has made many annotations and made some five small, charming coloured drawings ( four of landscapes and one of a plant). A rare work and (despite the two lost pages) with the added interest of the annotations and provenance.

The Insect Hunters, and other poems by Edward Newman. newman wasfront pastedown reveals that it was given to one of the most important entomologists of the Victorian age, and besides his scientific work he loved poetry. The Insect Hunters combines his passions. This is the second edition of 1861 published by Van Voorst. 108 pages with four pages of ads at end. Purple cloth with gilt moth to front boards. Boards a little marked and dulled, top and bottom of spine a little worn, spine faded a tad, but a solid copy with good hinges.

The poems show a debt to Longfellow, whom he quotes at the beginning. Most interestingly, the book once belonged to the daughter of John Arthur Powers, to whom the book is dedicated. A note to the owner by Beatrice Power, and the original small, handwritten gift note from Beatrice is also present.

Entomologia Edinensis, or a description and history of the insects found in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, James Wilson and the Rev James Duncan. Blackwood, 1834. 351 pages, two plates, half title, original paper boards with new dark, a little marked, leather spine, chip to front edge of top board but a very nice copy indeed. Bookplate of Russell Pollock with the clan Pollock motto Audacter et Strenue ('Boldly and Earnestly') dated 1859.

Monograph of the Genus Catops, by Andrew Murray, the Scottish botanist (1812 - 1878). An offprint from the Annals and Magazine of Natural History for July 1856). 90 pages, original blue wraps deatched but present within card covers. Illustrated. A Vg copy of a rare monograph.