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February 28, 2006: William and Mary College Showcases Beautiful Books
"Some books are not only rare, they are beautiful. A good example in the rare books collection of the Special Collections Research Center is The Aurelian: A Natural History of English Moths and Butterflies, together with the Plants on Which They Feed (London, 1766) by Moses Harris."
"Like some other rich Londoners, Moses Harris (1731?-1785?) collected insects. Entomology was a popular pastime in an era in which new exciting specimens could come in from the British colonies. He produced The Aurelian, which was first published in 1766 and reprinted in an updated version by John Obadiah Westwood in 1840. There were charges of plagiarism of the work of Jacob L'Admiral against Harris, whom Westwood defended in the reprint. "
