Berquin's Tales (1845) and An Introduction to Entomology (1865). 

Size: (largest) 7 7/16 X 5 1/4 X 1 1/2 in. 

This lot consists of two books about science and nature: Berquin’s Tales, otherwise known as An Introduction to the Study of Nature, with Other Pieces, from the French of M. Berquin, and An Introduction to Entomology, or, Elements of the Natural History of Insects, Comprising an Account of Noxious and Useful Insects, of their Metamorphoses, Food, Stratagems, Habitations, Societies, Motions, Noises, Hybernation, Instinct, Etc Etc, by William Kirby and William Spence. 

The Berquin book was published in Philadelphia by J. Crissy in 1845 and was a book about science for children. Originally written in French, the first English edition by Crissy appeared in  1841 and this edition was published four years later. The book has horizontal bands and gilt lettering on the spine, gilt decorations and incised devices on the front cover, blank endpapers with “M P Turner Dec. 25, 1845” inscribed on the front paste-down, the half-title is called Berquin’s Tales, then a woodcut on the frontis page, the title page has the owner’s name at the top (Marianne Poyn ___ Turner), the copyright page is dated 1841, followed by a two-page Author’s Preface, a Contents page, four sections titled An Introduction to the Study of Nature (142 pages long), Village Stories (143 pages long), The Children’s Companion (143 pages), The Children’s Fireside Book (144 pages long), with subjects include like the Ocean, Planets, Comets, and Fixed Stars, and Causes of Rain, and there are numerous woodcuts throughout. The book measures 7 1/2 x 5 inches wide and is in very good condition, with a tight binding and clean pages and text, the woodcuts are very clean, and there are just faint brown spots here and there and bumps at the heel and crown and on a couple of tips. 

The entomology book was published in London by Longmans, Green and Co. in 1865 and is the eighth edition, which sounds like a lot of books published for this title, but the eighth edition is only the thirteenth thousand of all the copies printed from the time the first edition came out. The book has five raised bands, gilt-ruled compartments and gilt lettering and gilt devices on the spine, a bright gilt-decorated cover with incised borders that have floral decorations in the corners, gilt dentelles and an attractive bookplate from King’s College dated 1868 on the front paste-down, there are advertisements to the sixth and seventh editions before the Preface, which runs from ix to xviii, followed by ten pages of Contents (xix - xxviii), 566 pages of text, a lengthy appendix that runs to page 607, and all the edges are gilt. William Kirby (1759 - 1850) was an English entomologist who was born in Witnesham, Suffolk, and graduated from Cambridge University; he was also an original member of the Linnean Society, a fellow of the Royal Society, and he co-wrote An Introduction to Entomology with William Spence (1783 - 1868), a British economist and entomologist who was born in Bishop Burton in the East Riding of Yorkshire and was one of the founders of the Society of Entomologists in London. The book they wrote here was considered very influential for its time. The book measures 7 7/16 x 5 1/4 inches wide and is in very good condition. The binding is tight and the pages and text are very clean, the gilt is bright, just a few brown spots in the margins towards the beginning of the book and rubbing at the edges and the tips. An attractive book overall.