1855. Large 8vo, pp. [iv], ii, 400; with eight hand-coloured lithograph plates, each retaining tissue guard; plates all somewhat browned, with some foxing throughout as usual, more prominent in places; original publisher’s black pebble-grained cloth with ornate Rococo-style gilt design, spine in compartments with raised bands, all edges gilt with white moire paste-downs, covers a little rubbed and faded, but otherwise an appealing copy. An appealing later edition of this introduction to entomology designed for children, and particularly girls, written by the educationalist and popular scientific writer Sophia Ulliac-Trémadeure (1794-1862). Sophia Ulliac-Trémadeure wrote a large number of works and was a moving force in the Bibliothèque de la jeune Fille, for which the present publication was written, and is a most striking example.
Once again using the conversational format, Mrs Ulliac Tremadeure presents a series of 22 dialogues, covering entomology and natural history, and with a particular emphasis upon butterflies. The work is accompanied by eight beautifully hand-coloured plates, which depict nearly 50 insects and transformations.
We believe the work was previously published by Desforges under the variant title of ‘Quelques leçons d’histoire naturelle’, possibly in the previous year though Gumuchian suggested a possible date of 1845. The title page of that variant gives credit for the ‘belles ltihographies’ to Gabriel Montaut. Didier first issued the work under the present title in 1854.