William Henry Edwards

William Henry Edwards ( born March 15, 1822 in Hunter, Greene County, New York, † April 4, 1909 in Coalburgh, West Virginia ) was an American entomologist.

Life and work

Edwards parents were William W. Edwards and Helen Ann man. His father owned a tannery and bought during the childhood of his son, a more than 400 acres of forest to generate Gerberlohe. Through this forest Edwards discovered the nature and his love for her.

In 1846 he visited Brazil, where he collected birds, insects and other animals. He achieved fame in 1847 with the publication of his book A Voyage Up the River Amazon, with a residency at Pará. This book fascinated many readers and also inspired Alfred Russel Wallace and Henry Bates to travel to this continent and explore.

Edwards specialty were the butterflies ( Lepidoptera) - in 1868 he began the publication of his magnificently illustrated major work, The Butterflies of North America, from which he graduated in 1897. He was an observer of the American Civil War and correspondent of Charles Darwin.

Works (selection)

Papers

Edwards has published over 250 articles in various scientific journals.

• A Voyage up the River Amazon. The Narrative Press, Santa Clara, Calif. 2004, ISBN 1-5897-6244-4 ( Nachdr d ed New York 1847).
• Synopsis of North American butterflies. Philadelphia, Penn. In 1872.
• Catalogue of the Diurnal Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico. In: Trans Amer. Ent. Soc., Vol 6, pp. 1-68.
• Revised Catalogue of the Diurnal Lepidoptera of America North of Mexico. Philadelphia, Penn. In 1884.