BRITISH ENTOMOLOGY1828-35CHARLES DARWIN'S INSECTS-STEPHENS 1st EDITION-FIRST

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ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH ENTOMOLOGY OR A SYNOPSIS OF INDIGENOUS INSECTS CONTAINING THEIR GENERIC AND SPECIFIC DISTINCTIONS; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THEIR METAMORPHOSES, TIMES OF APPEARANCE, LOCALITIES, FOOD, AND ECONOMY, AS FAR AS PRACTICABLE. BY JAMES FRANCIS STEPHENS, F.L.S. MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, ETC EMBELLISHED WITH COLOURED FIGURES OF THE RARER AND MORE INTERESTING SPECIES. 11 VOLUMES + PLATE VOLUME (94 HAND-COLOURED PLATES) LONDON : PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR PUBLISHED BY BALDAVIN AND CRADOCK; SOLD BY J. CHURCHILL, SAVILLE-HOUSE, LEICESTKR-SQUARE, AND BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 1828 - 1835 ******* DESCRIPTION : Illustrations of British entomology; or, a synopsis of indigenous insects etc . 8vo, 245 mm, 11 vols [Haustellata - VOL I-IV (vols I & II bound together) // Mandibulata - Vol I-VII, (vols I & II and VI & VII bound together) + 80 hand-coloured plates (as called for) bound in a separate volume , Baldwin and Cradock for the author, London [1827-]1828-1835 half calf, marbled covers and plain endpapers . A later " Supplement" volume (1846) is not present in this set, but 14 of the supplement's 15 plates (XXXVII, XLI-XLVII, 42-46 & 48) are inlcuded in the plate volume . [FREEMAN F1968]. Set weighs approx 8 kg. CONDITION : VERY GOOD- . The leather bindings are all secure. There is some wear to the extremities and many of the joints have cracked, but they have been repaired and all the hinges have been reinforced (see photos). Plate on front paste-down of all volumes: "J.W. CLARK, MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY and COMPARATIVE ANATOMY, CAMBRIDGE" ( John Willis Clark (1833 – 1910), was a nephew of Prof. Robert Willis. Educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, he spent his life at the university, serving as Superintendent of the Museum of Zoology (a position he held for 25 years), and Registrary of the University. In his obituary - The Times, 11/10/1910, it was said that he "raised the Museum of Zoology to the first rank". He was also Secretary of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. He published many zoological papers and a number of books on various subjects including "The Life and Letters of The Reverend Adam Sedgwick" (1890) and "The Architectural History of the University and Colleges of Cambridge", with Robert Willis, 4 volumes, 1886.) . No ink names or ink marks. Some foxing to first and last few leaves, but book generally very clean. All text-blocks tight. Though this set lacks the very late-added supplement volume (1846) this set represents a scarce, uniformly bound set, of the main 11 volumes (with all their called-for plates), with excellent provenance. It contains all of Charles Darwin's records and, as well as the 80 plates of the 11 volumes has 14 of the 15 plates that belong to the supplement. A scarce set of an important entomological work in its own right. Approx 100 images below, including Darwin's entries and quoted remarks, and the wonderful plates. After this is a full inventory of the instances in which his name appears (31 entries, with 92 words quoted from Darwin) ********** Charles Darwin, in his autobiography sheds some humorous light on his early obsession for beetle-collecting and his excitement (at 20 years of age) of seeing his name in print for the first time: ...no pursuit at Cambridge was followed with nearly so much eagerness or gave me so much pleasure as collecting beetles. It was the mere passion for collecting, for I did not dissect them and rarely compared their external characters with published descriptions, but got them named anyhow. I will give a proof of my zeal: one day, on tearing off some old bark, I saw two rare beetles and seized one in each hand; then I saw a third and new kind, which I could not bear to lose, so that I popped the one which I held in my right hand into my mouth. Alas it ejected some intensely acrid fluid, which burnt my tongue so that I was forced ... read more

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