Exposition of English Insects. Including the Several Classes of Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, & Diptera, or Bees, Flies & Libellulae.

Moses Harris

Published by Mr White, Bookseller on Fleet Street, & Mr Robson, in New Bond Street, London, 1782

About this Item

A good copy with hand coloured frontispiece scheme of colours, 50 hand coloured and one plain plate, in 20th century half leather binding. Moses Harris (1730-circa 1788) was a skilled artist who was known particularly for his work on colours. This work began publication in 1776 and went through several further printings (to 1791). This copy is dated 1782, and should, according to Lisney have a hand coloured scene as the frontispiece instead of the colour scheme - so it is likely to be a made up copy. The half leather binding has small raised bands with gilt lines, gilt date, and gilt title and author labels to spine. The boards are marbled. It is in fine clean condition. The endpapers and initial and final blanks have been replaced and there is the bookplate of Paul Sokoloff (1948-2012), the noted lepidopterist and book collector to the front pastedown. Contents: frontispiece Scheme of Colours - with tipped-in hand drawn and coloured wing sections of Muscae taken from Moses Harris, on the other side (signed HH 3/9/68); title page in English with stamp of Entomological Society of London and signature H H Aug. 1868 to the top corner; [title in French is lacking]; Preface pp i-vii, including plain anatomical plate; text pp 1-166 with double columns of English and French, and hand coloured plates interspersed; Index 4pp. Some of the plates have their original tissue guards which are very ragged, browned and spotty. The contents are clean with varying degrees of toning and spotting to the paper. Plate XI has been printed at a slight angle on the paper and there is a small indentation at the side of the plate, repeated on some following text pages. There is a small repaired top edge tear on p123. Please enquire if you would like to see additional images in order to further assess condition. Seller Inventory # 033340

Bibliographic Details

Title: Exposition of English Insects. Including the...

Publisher: Mr White, Bookseller on Fleet Street, & Mr Robson, in New Bond Street, London

Publication Date: 1782

Binding: Half-Leather

Illustrator: Moses Harris

Condition: Good

Edition: 2nd Edition