£30
Insecta Britannica, Lepidoptera, Tineina, by H. T. Stainton. Pub
Lovell Reeve 1854. Octavo. 313pp. 10 uncoloured plates. Black cloth
decorated in blind, small paper label to spine under gilt titles. A few
small marks, but a very good, solid copy of this title. The
advertisement for Insecta Britannica has been stuck to the pastedown.
Originally intended to be five volumes, a pencil note from West
indicates that volume IV was never published thus this volume and the
three volumes of Diptera in this lot constitute the entire run of Insecta
Britannica.
Insecta Britannica, Diptera, by Francis Walker, pub. Lovell Reeve,
1851, 1853, 1856. Three volumes in original publisher's cloth. Vol. I,
313 pp plus errata page. 10 uncoloured plates; Vol. II, 297pp plus
errata page. 10 uncoloured plates (numbered consecutively from
volume I); Vol. III 352pp. 10 uncoloured plates (numbered
consecutively from volume II). All in original publisher's black cloth
decorated in blind with gilt titles to spine. Wear to exterior joints of
spines, especially volume one but all still solidly bound. Vol I and II
have the original prospectus tipped into the front. Manuscript notes
made by West loosely inserted with neat pen and ink drawings to Vol I.
Touchingly, West has inserted a poem (signed with initials) 'To the
Future Owners of this book' (see introduction)
(4)
The following lots of books represent the library of George West.
West's biographical details are hard to pin down, his date of birth
unknown, (probably around the 1880's) and his death sometime after
1945. He is known to have worked as an assistant and then lecturer in
Botany at the University of Dundee from 1906. At that time the
university was a constituent college of St Andrews University. West
seems to have remained there until around 1926. In his publication
'Practical Principles of Plain Photo Micrography' (1916) he describes
himself as a lecturer in Botany. Most of the books in the sale bear the
handstamp, 'George West' to the front pastedowns. Many volumes bear
extracts from booksellers' catalogues with prices of the titles,
suggesting that West liked to keep up with the current values of his
library.
The books represent a working library and many are also
annotated in pencil in his hand, cross-referencing other works and
adding his comments. To the front of the first volume of Walker's
Diptera (see lot no.) he has inserted his handwritten poem, 'To the
Future Owners of this book'.
Geordie has now turned up his toes
And gone aloft to seek repose
From various varmints nips and stings,
Especially those base mankind brings...
.....
...He trusts the child who gets this book
Will on the various notes just look
And feel that every pencil stroke
Helps on the game dear Walker wrote...
Although a botanist by profession, his main interest, judging by
his library appears to have been entomology and amongst the books
are some rare titles in that field many dating from the nineteenth
century, a golden age for the natural sciences. Many of the giants in
the field of Entomology are represented in the books and there are
good sets of Curtis, Donovan and Stephens with many exquisite, hand-
coloured illustrations. Geology was another of his interests, as well as
microscopy.
What little is known of George West is largely gleaned from a
publication from Hereford Museum published in 2007. West had
donated a large collection of mineralogical specimens to the Museum
in 1945. His connection with Hereford, however, appears to be
tenuous and the man remains something of an enigma.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Room and Absentee Bids:
24% inc VAT*
Online and Autobids:
24% inc VAT*
