J.O. Westwood - The Butterflies of Great Britain and Their Transformations - 1854

A beautifully preserved Victorian natural history volume featuring the famous hand-coloured entomological plate “The Butterflies of Great Britain” by John Obadiah Westwood (1805–1893), one of the leading entomologists of the 19th century.

Publisher: W. Sorr & Co., Paternoster Row, London

Year: MDCCCLVII (1857)

Format: Landscape quarto

Binding: Elegant contemporary half-leather binding with marbled boards, raised bands, and gilt spine title (“British Butterflies”).

Illustrations: High-quality hand-coloured chromolithograph title plate depicting caterpillars, chrysalides, plants, and mature butterflies.

Paper is clean and bright with strong colours.


Condition Report: Good to Very Good
- Strong and clean binding, lightly rubbed at edges
- Leather spine in very good condition with bright gilt
- Interior clean: no foxing on the plate
- Hand-coloured plate exceptionally vivid
- No tears, writing, or missing pages
- Endpapers lightly toned due to age