Beschreibung:

HARRIS, Moses (1730-c.1788). The Aurelian: or Natural History of English Insects; namely, Moths and Butterflies . London: for the author, 1766. 2° (456 x 275mm). Engraved frontispiece with portrait of the author in a landscape, title with engraved vignette, 41 hand-coloured engraved plates. (pp.49 and 51 with margins shaved to text edge and extended to size, occasional very light browning or offsetting, brown stain to plates 25 and 26 affecting image.) Green morocco gilt by J. Wright, the covers with elaborately-tooled border incorporating butterflies, moths, shells and foliate sprays, gilt edges (lower corners slightly bumped, edges slightly scuffed). A TALL COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION. 'One of the most outstanding authors of entomological literature during the eighteenth century' (Lisney), Harris drew from live specimens. His plates are amongst the most beautiful of their kind, showing dorsal and ventral views of all the subjects, together with various stages of development (egg, caterpillar, chrysalis), each with their preferred food. Originally issued in fascicules, first issues of the first edition contain the first few numbers, as originally issued (but without covers), identified by their smaller sheet size. This copy contains 2 text leaves (B 1 - 2) and plate II on shorter leaves, plate XXXV appears in its first state, plate XVII in its second state, suggesting that it has significant elements of the first issue. Cf. Lisney 229; Nissen 1835.