Westwood, John Obadiah, 1805-1893.

An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects; Founded on the Natural Habits and Corresponding Organisation of Different Families.

London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1839-1840.

2 volumes.

Considered Westwood's seminal work, An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects illustrates the sophistication of the hobbyist of the period. Intended for the amateur entomologist, An Introduction consisted of more than 1,000 pages and sought to bridge the gap between general overviews of insect life and the very specialized catalogs of insect genera and species. The work focused on the classification of insects into orders and families.

An Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects earned Westwood the Royal Medal of the Royal Society in 1855. The copy owned by NCSU's Special Collection's Department is autographed by Westwood for Dutch entomologist, Willem DeHaan (1801-1855).