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Illustrations of Varieties of British Lepidoptera. Huddersfield: [1878-1885].
Details
MOSLEY, Seth Lister (1848-1929)
Illustrations of Varieties of British Lepidoptera. Huddersfield: [1878-1885].
Extremely rare work on British lepidoptera illustrated with original watercolours. It was issued in 14 parts but because of its irregular publication, it is seldom found complete. As Mosley explains in the preface it was his original intention that all the plates would be drawn and coloured by hand. 'The advantage of this will be – I can regulate the supply according to the demand, without going into a lot of expense in lithographing them ... The parts will be issued occasionally, as I am able to complete them'. It would appear, however, that as the work progressed he was compelled to resort to lithography. It's possible that the inscription inpart 1 might belong to Samuel Denton Bairstow (1854-1898). He was born in Hudderfield, before leaving for South Africa in 1880. There, Bairstow was a wool merchant, but was a serious and active amateur natural historian in his spare time. He had a special interest in entomology, already contributing to Miss E.A. Ormerod's Observations on injurious insects before his emigration. In the 1890s, Bairstow became consulting entomologist to the Department of Agriculture of the Cape Colony, and published on entomological subjects in the Agricultural Journal of the Cape Colony. Nissen ZBI 2901; Freeman British Natural History Books 2699.
7 parts (only, of 14), octavo (270 x 180mm). 39 (of 73) plates, the majority original watercolours, but some lithographed and coloured by hand, each with printed leaf of description, first part with leaf of preface (without title, perhaps as issued, some faint spotting mainly confined to tissue guards). Original orange and purple wrappers (worn, with defective spines and some stitching and wrappers loose, some slight chipping and fraying). Provenance: S.D. Bairstow (presentation inscription on inside front wrapper of part 1 to unknown recipient dated 25 November 1879).
Illustrations of Varieties of British Lepidoptera. Huddersfield: [1878-1885].
Extremely rare work on British lepidoptera illustrated with original watercolours. It was issued in 14 parts but because of its irregular publication, it is seldom found complete. As Mosley explains in the preface it was his original intention that all the plates would be drawn and coloured by hand. 'The advantage of this will be – I can regulate the supply according to the demand, without going into a lot of expense in lithographing them ... The parts will be issued occasionally, as I am able to complete them'. It would appear, however, that as the work progressed he was compelled to resort to lithography. It's possible that the inscription inpart 1 might belong to Samuel Denton Bairstow (1854-1898). He was born in Hudderfield, before leaving for South Africa in 1880. There, Bairstow was a wool merchant, but was a serious and active amateur natural historian in his spare time. He had a special interest in entomology, already contributing to Miss E.A. Ormerod's Observations on injurious insects before his emigration. In the 1890s, Bairstow became consulting entomologist to the Department of Agriculture of the Cape Colony, and published on entomological subjects in the Agricultural Journal of the Cape Colony. Nissen ZBI 2901; Freeman British Natural History Books 2699.
7 parts (only, of 14), octavo (270 x 180mm). 39 (of 73) plates, the majority original watercolours, but some lithographed and coloured by hand, each with printed leaf of description, first part with leaf of preface (without title, perhaps as issued, some faint spotting mainly confined to tissue guards). Original orange and purple wrappers (worn, with defective spines and some stitching and wrappers loose, some slight chipping and fraying). Provenance: S.D. Bairstow (presentation inscription on inside front wrapper of part 1 to unknown recipient dated 25 November 1879).
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