The Surinam Album

Description:

Limited edition of 1000 numbered copies. The 91 plates in this facsimile edition have been reproduced by digital photography from the original album in the British Museum, London. Three additional colour plates loosely inserted. With commentary volume by Julie Harvey (Entomology Librarian, Natural History Museum).

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was German-born naturalist, artist and explorer. At a time when it was not customary for women to pursue careers in science and exploration, she became a pioneering entomologist. She was one of the first naturalists who reared live insects, which gave her an insight into their natural history and behaviour. She showed that, contrary to the prevailing notion of the time, insects were not spontaneously created, but went through distinct developmental transformations. Through her accurate illustrations of insects and their food plants, she was the first to document these life stages for the public. In 1699, aged 52, Merian sailed to South America on a scientific voyage, the first expedition of this scale a woman had ever undertaken. Her study of the insects of Surinam is a scientific and artistic achievement that changed the course of entomology forever.

Condition

Copy no. 97/1000. Large folio, qtr morocco, dec. boards, as new. Fine in publisher's solander box.