The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore

First UK Edition. Publisher's mauve boards with gilt lettering to the spine. With 12 plates and 35 text figures. A neat contemporary inscription to the half-title, scattered foxing to the page block edges and the early/late pages of the book; boards bright and clean overall a VG (or better) copy. In the VERY RARE like dustwrapper priced 12s 6d net to the inside flap (as called for). The dustwrapper is creased with minor loss at the head of the spine which is a bit browned and foxed in places to the back panel. A long history of bee keeping and the folklore that has accompanied human interaction with bees for over 5,000 years. No creature has provided man with so much wholesome food as the honey bee. Equally impressive is the number of beliefs and superstitions the industrious insect has inspired. Its honey, which was known to the ancient Greeks as the "food of the Gods," played an important role in early religious rites and was also mentioned in the folklore of many peoples. A well-documented and copiously illustrated study of bees focuses on this valuable by-product of nature and its creator -- the sacred bee. Chapters cover the folklore of bees and bee culture -- from Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, Hittite, and other ancient sources as well as practices in modern England, France, and Central Europe. Thirty-five plates of rare black-and-white illustrations depict bees, hives, and beekeepers as they appear in ancient paintings and sculpture, on coins, jewellery, and Mayan glyphs; and carved into African tree trunks. Hailed by The New York Times as possessing an oddity, beauty, and broad scholarly interest. Rare in First Edition especially in dustwrapper. Photographs/scans available upon request.…