Rhopalocera Malayana: A Description of the Butterflies of the Malay Peninsula

Description:

1st edition. Originally published in 12 parts. A rare and magnificent work on the butterflies of the Malay Peninsula. On receiving a copy of the first part, Alfred Russel Wallace wrote in a book review for Nature (May 1882), 'We have received the first part of this handsome work, in which it is proposed to describe and figure all the species of butterflies which inhabit the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Penang and Singapore. Forty-four coloured figures of butterflies are given in this part, occupying four plates of large quarto size: and they are most admirably executed in chromo-lithography. Some of the figures, indeed, are hardly to be distinguished from good hand-colouring.'

The fine chromolithograpic plates, by Horace Knight, are numbered 1-44, 27a+b.

William Lucas Distant (1845-1922) was inspired to a study of natural history on a whaling trip to the Malay Peninsula with his father in 1867. He was editor of the Zoologist and was employed by the British Museum (Natural History) between 1899 and 1920, where he worked mainly on the Hemiptera. He contributed to the sections on Homoptera and Heteroptera in 'Biologia Centrali Americana' (1880-1900), and was author of the 7 volumes on Rhynchota for 'The Fauna of British India' (1902-1918). He also collected many species of insects during a four-year stay in South Africa, many of which were described in his 'Insecta Transvaaliensia' (1900-1911).

Nissen ZBI, 1114.

Condition

Roy. 4to, cont. half morocco, marbled boards and endpapers, raised bands to spine, teg, a little rubbing and minor scuffing to corners. Occasional foxing to text, plates clean. A fine copy in a handsome binding, with original part wrappers bound at rear. Book-plate of William Bree (1822-1917), rector of Allesley and archdeacon of Coventry.