Natural History of British Butterflies. Vol. I-II

Description:

F.W. Frohawk (1861-1946) was the first person to rear every species of British butterfly from egg to adult. (Marren, P., 2015). This work is the result of his remarkable achievement, a magisterial two-volume folio work, illustrated with his unrivalled life-size colour drawings of butterflies and their early stages. Its colour plates are the first complete record of all the life stages of British butterflies, together with the habits, times of appearance, and localities.

This classic butterfly book took a quarter-century to compile. Although the preface is dated 1914, publication was delayed until after the First World War. As Peter Marren (2015) notes: ‘… at long last, in 1914, and the age of fifty-three, he had completed the last painting, written the last line, and sent the great work off to his publishers, war was declared. […] wartime paper shortages made publication impossible. By the time the war was over people had other things on their minds: publication was delayed a further six years until 1924.’

(Marren, P., 2015, Rainbow Dust).

Condition

2 vols, folio, orig. cloth, gilt. Very clean copy, without any of the foxing often found with this work. Fine set in d/w's (d/w's with some minor chipping/wear to corners and head/foot of spines, c. 1cm loss to the head of that of Vol. II, but no loss to title lettering; in protective sleeves). Rare, especially in such well-preserved dust wrappers.