Donovan's Insects
Source: https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/8231 Parent: https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/
8231
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Donovan's Insects
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Collection Description
This collection brings together Edward Donovan’s trilogy of illustrated works on exotic insects, published in London between 1798 and 1805. It's Known as the Epitome series and represent some of the earliest systematic studies of insects from Asia and the Pacific. The first volume, Insects of China (1798), introduced species based on specimens linked to George Macartney’s embassy. The second, Insects of India ... (1800), was the first European entomology publication devoted to India. The third, Insects of New Holland ... (1805), focused on Australasia and the Pacific and is considered the first work dedicated exclusively to Australian insects.
Privately printed by T. Bensley and sold by subscription through leading London booksellers, these works combined scientific classification under Linnaean taxonomy with remarkable artistry. Donovan, with possible assistance, engraved and hand-coloured each plate, applying rich pigments and decorative techniques such as burnished highlights, albumen overglazes, and metallic paints, which lent the illustrations a distinctive and highly refined appearance.
His research drew on specimens from major collections, including those associated with Sir Joseph Banks and voyages of James Cook, as well as his own museum—the London Museum and Institute of Natural History—which operated from 1807 until its closure in 1817.
Explore each digitised volume in full:
- An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of China (1798)
- An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of India and the Islands in the Indian Seas (1800)
- An Epitome of the Natural History of the Insects of New Holland, New Zealand, New Guinea, Otaheite, and other islands in the Indian, Southern, and Pacific Oceans (1805)
Collection SummaryDonovan's illustrations were the first European recordings of the entomology of India and Australia.
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An epitome of the natural history of the insects of China](https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/8233)
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An epitome of the natural history of the insects of India, and the islands in the Indian Seas](https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/8274)
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An epitome of the natural history of the insects of New Holland, New Zealand, New Guinea, Otaheite, and other islands in the Indian, Southern, and Pacific Oceans](https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/8232)
CollectionsThe natural world
Donovan's Insects. University of Sydney Library, accessed 23/03/2026, https://digital.library.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/8231