Edward Donovan | An epitome of the insects of China, 1798

Edward Donovan

An epitome of the insects of China. London: printed for the author by T. Bensley, 1798

FIRST EDITION, 4to (285 x 228mm.), 50 hand-coloured engraved plates, nineteenth-century red morocco gilt, edges gilt

A FINE COPY of one of Edward Donovan's best known botanical works. Donovan (1768-1813) was a member of the Linnean Society from 1799 and a well respected botanist, who published extensively throughout his lifetime, especially on the subject of

international flora and fauna, despite the fact he rarely left London. The specimens he studied had been brought to him by George Macartney from his famous embassy to China.

LITERATURE:

Hagen I, p. 177; Nissen ZBI 1143