Footsteps to Natural History. [Vol. I. No. I].

Boston: Leonard C[rocker] Bowles, 1830 Apparent first edition. A companion volume (No. II) was published in the same year. Publisher's printed paper wrappers. . 5.5 x 3.5." . Engraved frontispiece. Rear wrapper is printed with publisher's ads. Covers lightly rubbed and soiled with a few small tears and creases. Slight foxing and intermittent minor soiling, short closed 1" tear to title-page, touching text on verso, but not affecting legibility. Contemporary presentation inscription to a young woman from her grandmother on front flyleaf, faint ink library stamp on inner front wrapper. A very good copy of a fragile book. We were unable to find any information about the author of the present work, including his or her name. Footsteps to Natural History is a intended for young readers, especially girls. It consists of a dialogue between the characters Mrs. Musgrave and her young daughter Ann. The former asks her child to define natural history, which Ann describes as "...an account of nature; that is, of the works of God, of the things which he has made, whether they are animals or plants or only stones and metals" (p. 10). They proceed to discuss insects and their habitats (the Coccus Ficus or the Coccus Lacca, aphids, Lion Ants, dragonflies, etc.).