Butterfly People: An American Encounter with the Beauty of the World

Description

Butterfly People: An American Encounter with the Beauty of the World From one of our most highly regarded historians, here is an original and engrossing chronicle of nineteenth-century Americas infatuation with butterflies—“flying flowers”—and the story of the naturalists who unveiled the mysteries of their existence. A product of William Leachs lifelong love of butterflies, this engaging and elegantly illustrated history shows how Americans from all walks of life passionately pursued butterflies, and how through their discoveries and observations they transformed the character of natural history. In a book as full of life as the subjects themselves and foregrounding a collecting culture now on the brink of vanishing, Leach reveals how the beauty of butterflies led Americans into a deeper understanding of the natural world.