InsectNet forum

Hello again,

For those interested in Entomological history I finally found a very good inexpensive copy of:


Title page rough online translation: Berge's Butterfly Book, Current State of Lepidopterology, Newly edited from Professor Dr. H. Rebel, in Vienna, 9th edition

Published in1910, 518 pgs., 50+ stunning plates, 9" x 11' x 2", Big, heavy Book... Basically it is all about European Butterflies & Moths.


Some of you in N. Am. (perhaps more commonly known in Europe) may have seen scattered illustrations of a few of the stunningly beautiful plates contained in this book. Years ago, online, I bought a set of those CD's containing several hundred complete scans of old entomological texts (1800's to early 1900's copywrites ended). Berge's book was on one CD & I printed off a half dozen of his plates. These plates still hang on my wall to date. I always wanted to own the book itself, but any copies available (very few in N. Am. for several hundred dollars ++) were very hard to locate. Recently I, however, luckily, found a Dealer (Mr. Hermann L. Strack hermann.strack@orange.fr from France... through Abebooks.com) who had a very good copy available for only 66.00 Euros +15.00 Euros shipping = 81.00 Euros Total; 81.00 Euros = approximately $88.00 USD = $115.00 CAD. Following are 2 plates:


John K.

And 3 more plates from Berge's Book:


John K.

Last Plate photo I have of Berge's Book:


John K.

Those plates are outstanding !

There are several historic entomology books which I'd love to own. They are pretty tough to come by these days due to their scarcity and all around cost.

Another amazing aspect of each one of these plates is the detail that has been put into the associated plants and the larvae details. Those arctiid "wooly bears" are absolutely amazing !!

Of course, the time put in to producing each one of these plates probably reflects a few hundred hours. A true labor of love which most artists lack when it comes to such detail. Some historic books were even hand colored by a few select artisans.

That's an amazing deal that you came across John and an envious find indeed.

Especially love the catocala plate.....

Many thanks for posting these images. Only rarely do you see meticulously hand-drawn illustrations such as these in modern publications, and I appreciate the time and attention to detail that went into them.

Hello yet again,

No problem posting some of those gorgeous plates. IMPO these are some of the most scientifically accurate & beautifully artistic plates ever done... the wonderful arrangement of all the leps, larvae, foodplants, etc., squeezed into each plate, is amazing, as livingplanet3 noted. About half of the plates in the second half of the book are of smaller moths... noctuids, geometrids, etc., etc. & are almost overwhelming in their complex layout (&... again, their pure artistic beauty).

There is another wonderful German authored set of books which many are familiar with, but few of us can ever afford. I am talking, of course, about Aldalbert Seitz's monumental 1909-1954, 20 volume, rare, English edition of, "The Macrolepidoptera of the World". These books have 1,458 outstanding chromolithographed color plates! For those seriously interested, I did a quick online search & found a couple complete sets... 1 set at 27,000 Euros (= around $30,000.00 USD = $40,000.00 CAD) & a much cheaper set at only 15,000 Euros (= around $16,500.00 USD = $22,100.00 CAD)... Gotta buy some lottery tickets or sell a kidney or two... There were sellers, online, selling complete CD scans of these books a number of years ago (maybe they still do?)... of the plates only & complete plate scans with the narrative... even then these CD's were quite expensive (& numerous!)... duh!... can you imagine scanning all those 20 volumes! Anyways I'll quit dreaming now...

John K.

They don't publish books like that anymore. Thanks for sharing.

In addition to the lithographed 9th edition of Berge's Butterfly Book from 1910, I still own the 4th edition from 1870, in which the plates are still hand-coloured. I have attached a scan of the corresponding plates for comparison. I think the presentation of the butterflies with their food plants is more successful in the later edition.

Hello Hewi,

Thank you very much for showing the two corresponding, 4th edition, 1870 plates, for comparison with those of the 1910, 9th edition. I find both variations absolutely striking (from an artistic POV)... the time, skill, & patience involved in hand coloring those earlier plates was simply remarkable!

Please bear with me Hewi as I have additional questions about this book that I believe you can (& perhaps other members can as well) provide answers to. Is the 9th edition the last one? If your 4th edition was published in 1870, then what year was the very 1st edition published in? A few more very basic questions.... who is this fellow Berge?... who is Dr. H. Rebel?... who were the artist(s) involved in creating/coloring the plates (perhaps unanswerable?!). Was the text updated as well as all the plates redrawn in newer editions? My understanding of the German language is "zero" & that is the reason for my basic questions....

Congratulations on owning that early 1870 edition with the hand colored plates! I thought (like Seitz's volumes) that those earlier editions of Berge's book could only be found in the rare book collections of major museums or universities. Again, I don't expect all my questions answered... I am simply curious about the historical aspects of Berge's book.

John K.

The above posts prompted me to recall the similarly detailed illustrations of James Gordon Irving, who illustrated the famous Golden Guide: Insects, first published in 1951. Due to the book's immense popularity (and affordability), it's apparently been in print continuously for over 70 years now -

boghaunter1 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:14 pm Please bear with me Hewi as I have additional questions about this book that I believe you can (& perhaps other members can as well) provide answers to. Is the 9th edition the last one? If your 4th edition was published in 1870, then what year was the very 1st edition published in? A few more very basic questions.... who is this fellow Berge?... who is Dr. H. Rebel?... who were the artist(s) involved in creating/coloring the plates (perhaps unanswerable?!). Was the text updated as well as all the plates redrawn in newer editions? My understanding of the German language is "zero" & that is the reason for my basic questions....

Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Berge, (born 11 December 1811 in Stuttgart, died 19 September 1883) was a German naturalist, ornithologist and entomologist. He was involved in nature research, about which he published several books, including on birds, butterflies and beetles.
I don't know the year of its first publication, but the Wikipedia entry "Friedrich Berge" gives the year 1842 for his butterfly book. There is a new reprint of the work which is available everywhere.
Professor Dr. Hans Rebel (born 2 September 1861; died 19 May 1940 in Vienna) was an Austrian entomologist who was particularly interested in butterflies. He had a doctorate in law and initially worked as a judge. He gave up this position in 1893 and devoted himself solely to the study of butterflies. In 1923 he was appointed director of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
John, and yes, the text is updated in the 9th edition as well as all the plates are redrawn.
The 4th edition comprises 250 pages, the 9th edition 509.

Hello again Hewi,

Fantastic! Many Thanks for the fast response & for taking the time to research my numerous questions. I often find the people's life histories more interesting than the books they authored!...Will do additional research on these two obscure (to me!) characters with the help of your interesting, initial facts. It is certainly not unusual for newer book editions to be updated...thanks again for confirming that... sounds like I got a good deal on my 1910 edition...

John K.

Hello livingplanet3,

The "Golden Guide" series is probably one of the most commonly purchased, in history, in N. Am., by the general populace, for younger children. Literally 100's of these used books are still available (as well as the lastest newer series) on line. I remember back in the mid 1960's (about 55 yrs. ago!), when I scratched together 2 bucks, & bought the yellow covered "Insect" edition at a local drug store. I poured over that little book recognizing some local spp., but was more intrigued by the beautiful illustrations of more "Exotic" spp. found in the United States... I was only 5 or 6 yrs. old & already hooked on "Bugs"! I was very happy recently when I was able to buy a very good, uncommon, hardcover edition of "Insects" Thanks for posting.

John K.

boghaunter1 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:30 pm Hello livingplanet3,

The "Golden Guide" series is probably one of the most commonly purchased, in history, in N. Am., by the general populace, for younger children. Literally 100's of these used books are still available (as well as the lastest newer series) on line. I remember back in the mid 1960's (about 55 yrs. ago!), when I scratched together 2 bucks, & bought the yellow covered "Insect" edition at a local drug store. I poured over that little book recognizing some local spp., but was more intrigued by the beautiful illustrations of more "Exotic" spp. found in the United States... I was only 5 or 6 yrs. old & already hooked on "Bugs"! I was very happy recently when I was able to buy a very good, uncommon, hardcover edition of "Insects" Thanks for posting.

John K.

I had a similar experience, although in my case, it happened at least a decade later. I can't recall exactly when or how I got my first copy of the Golden Guide to insects, but it was surely one of the first books I ever owned, and I still have that copy to this day. Most likely, it was given to me by my great-grandmother, who did much to foster my early interest in natural history. Its covers are now quite worn, but the binding has held up rather well over many years of use.