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With 32 pages of full-color inserts and black-and-white illustrations throughout.From one of our most highly regarded historians, here is an original and engrossing chronicle of nineteenth-century Americas infatuation with butterflies, 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. Leach focuses on the correspondence and scientific writings of half a dozen pioneering lepidopterists who traveled across the country and throughout the world, collecting and studying unknown and exotic species.