Lot 525: Abbot (John) and James Edward Smith The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia, 2 volumes, titles and text in English and

Abbot (John) and James Edward Smith
The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia, 2 volumes, titles and text in English and French, 104 hand-coloured engraved plates by John Harris after drawings by Abbot, watermarked 1794-1822, slight browning and offsetting, plates 10 and 69 trimmed, contemporary dark green straight-grained morocco, panelled in gilt and blind, rubbed, gilt edges, folio (403 by 300mm.), London, T. Bensley, for J. Edwards, [etc.], 1797

FIRST EDITION. John Abbot (1751-c.1842) was born in London but spent most of his life in Georgia collecting specimens of insects and preparing drawings on a commercial basis. In his preface to his work Smith writes of Abbot: "The result of his observations he has delineated in a style of beauty and accuracy which can scarcely be excelled, and has accompanied his figures with an account, as well as representation, of the plants on which each insect chiefly feeds...".

References: Nissen ZB1 2; Great Flower Books, p.76; Dunthorne 287; Hagen, p.172; Sabin 25.

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