Essays on Insects as Seen through the Microscope
Essays In Natural History And Philosophy. Containing a Series of Discoveries, by the Assistance of Microscopes.
Notes: A work mostly devoted to entomology (insects being the most common subject of these essays), with a few botanical pieces. Two examples: Essay X, "On a Species of Fly produced on the Flower of a Plant" and Essay XII: "On the Production and Fructification of a Singular Species of Moss."
According to Hill's biographer, George Rousseau, "The Essays do not contain original ideas when compared to the major thinkers of natural history but the power of observation is noteworthy... The main achievement is making the unseen visible through words... The Essays have no plates nor do they need them; [Hill] conveys graphic images through vivified words."—The Notorious Sir John Hill, p. 189.
[8], 415 pages.
Edition + Condition: First edition. A very good copy in a late 19th century binding of polished calf and marbled paper-covered boards.
Publication: London: Printed for J. Whitson and B. White... 1752.
Item No: #361801
Price: $750