Farm Insects: being the Natural History and Economy of the Insects Injurious to the Field Crops of Great Britain and Ireland

xiv, 15-528 + 8-ads, 16 hand-col plates, 69 wood engravings to text. . HB. Roy. 8vo, orig. cloth, gilt, worn, joints split, front board and spine almost detached. Front endpaper removed. Binding very worn, but text block sound and clean. Two relevant contemporary press cuttings pasted to verso of half-title and blank recto of frontispiece. Signature of botanist William Gorrie (c. 1811-1881), gardener to Lawson's Nursery in Edinburgh and President of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh. First edition. The fine hand-coloured plates by John Curtis illustrate insect pests and the damage they cause to farm crops. John Curtis (1791-1862) was a British entomologist, illustrator, engraver and writer, best known for his major work on British insects, British Entomology (1823-1840). For many years Curtis made a special study of the habits and economy of the various species of insect pests. The results of his investigations were published in the Gardener's Chronicle (1841-55), under the signature Ruricola, and to the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society (up to 1857). These articles led to the creation of the present book. This book was the first in Britain to deal scientifically with insect pests. Though farmers were well aware that insects caused losses, Curtis was the first author to call attention to their significant economic impact.…