Apr 16, 2026 10:00 EST
Rare Books, Autographs & Maps
29
The first English book on entomology
MOFFETT, THOMAS
Insectorum sive minimorum animalium theatrum: Olim ab Edoardo Wottono, Conrado Gesnero, Thomaque Pennio inchoatum. London: Thomas Cotes, 1634. First edition, page 48 incorrectly numbered 52; one of three variant imprints known (no priority). Full brown contemporary calf with the arms of Léonor d'Edampes de Valençay, Archbishop of Rheims (his second stamp, the first bears solely his mitre and crozier as Bishop of Chartres). 12 1/4 x 7 5/8 inches (31 x 19.5 cm); A6 a4 B-2D6 2E4 (signature V bound out of order); [xx], 326, [4] pp.; fine woodcuts throughout. The binding with wear and some scraping, evidence of clumsy restoration with glue, the title with a vertical crease and a short tear at the head just into the woodcut frame, a few spots of foxing, minor staining to the gutter margin at the end, generally a clean copy internally. Book label of John Camp Williams on front pastedown.
This was the first book on insects to be published in England; the provenance, a contemporary French ecclesiastic, is an interesting one. The genesis of the volume was an unpublished and incomplete work by Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), to which Gessner's assistant Thomas Penny (d. 1589) added new material, as did Thomas Wotten. Thomas Moffet (1553-1604), a friend of Penny, acquired the manuscript upon Penny's death, and substantially augmented it with his own highly accurate observations. He himself died before it could be published, and it did not finally appear until it was acquired by Sir Theodore Mayerne (1573-1655). Garrison-Morton 288; Nissen 2852; Norman 1528.
Sold for $4,160
Estimated at $1,200 - $1,800
Includes Buyer's Premium
MOFFETT, THOMAS
Insectorum sive minimorum animalium theatrum: Olim ab Edoardo Wottono, Conrado Gesnero, Thomaque Pennio inchoatum. London: Thomas Cotes, 1634. First edition, page 48 incorrectly numbered 52; one of three variant imprints known (no priority). Full brown contemporary calf with the arms of Léonor d'Edampes de Valençay, Archbishop of Rheims (his second stamp, the first bears solely his mitre and crozier as Bishop of Chartres). 12 1/4 x 7 5/8 inches (31 x 19.5 cm); A6 a4 B-2D6 2E4 (signature V bound out of order); [xx], 326, [4] pp.; fine woodcuts throughout. The binding with wear and some scraping, evidence of clumsy restoration with glue, the title with a vertical crease and a short tear at the head just into the woodcut frame, a few spots of foxing, minor staining to the gutter margin at the end, generally a clean copy internally. Book label of John Camp Williams on front pastedown.
This was the first book on insects to be published in England; the provenance, a contemporary French ecclesiastic, is an interesting one. The genesis of the volume was an unpublished and incomplete work by Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), to which Gessner's assistant Thomas Penny (d. 1589) added new material, as did Thomas Wotten. Thomas Moffet (1553-1604), a friend of Penny, acquired the manuscript upon Penny's death, and substantially augmented it with his own highly accurate observations. He himself died before it could be published, and it did not finally appear until it was acquired by Sir Theodore Mayerne (1573-1655). Garrison-Morton 288; Nissen 2852; Norman 1528.
Auction: Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, Apr 16, 2026
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Successful Auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 Surpasses Expectations
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Thomas Jefferson Letter Commenting on Toussaint Louverture Achieves $32,000
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Consignments Are Currently Being Accepted for Future Auctions
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We Invite You to Contact Us for Complimentary Auction Estimates of Your Collection
NEW YORK, NY – Doyle's auction of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps on April 16, 2026 saw international competition drive strong results throughout the sale and a total that surpassed expectations.
Thomas Jefferson Letter on Toussaint Louverture
Highlighting the sale was a fascinating 1802 letter from Thomas Jefferson as president to Maryland Governor John Francis Mercer that achieved a strong $32,000. The remarkable letter captures a rare, candid moment in which Jefferson assesses, with striking clarity, the arrest of Toussaint Louverture, a leader of the Haitian Revolution, by French General Charles LeClerc, Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Jefferson perceptively warned that LeClerc’s actions would erode trust and likely spark further racial conflict—an insight that proved remarkably accurate. Beyond its sharp political foresight, the letter reflects the broader anxiety the Haitian Revolution provoked in the United States, which contributed to decades of diplomatic isolation of Haiti.
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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.
