One Hundred Butterflies

In One Hundred Butterflies, photographer Harold Feinsteinshowcases butterfly varieties from around the world, turning exquisite details into mesmerizing works of art. Feinstein's breathtaking photographs capture the color, vibrancy, and infinite variety of patterns that occur on the wings of these ornate insects. One hundred impeccably reproduced, oversized photographs allow viewers to appreciate the Blue Morpho of Central America, the African Birdwing, and the Asian Swallowtail at a scale and depth impossible to experience in nature. An elegantly printed deluxe gift book, it is a treasure for butterfly enthusiasts and art lovers alike.

Library Journal

As the title clearly suggests, photographer and lepidopterist Feinstein here collects vivid color close-ups of 100 exotic butterflies; each is well documented with the insect's country of origin, species name in Latin, and popular name in English. In several instances, Feinstein includes photographs both of the top and the underside of the insect with patterns of owl eyes, sunsets, and swallowtails. Ancillaries to this pictorial book include several full-page thematic quotations by such writers as Nathaniel Hawthorne ("Happiness is a butterfly"), Melville ("the sins of the caterpillar"), and Tagore ("the butterfly counts not months but moments"). A poem about butterflies written by the photographer is presented along with a short essay by noted butterfly expert Fred Gagnon, who discusses the important roles these insects play in nature and society. Feinstein's photographs have been exhibited at the George Eastman House and the International Center of Photography; his earlier publications include One Hundred Flowers and One Hundred Seashells. VERDICT Suggested for general collections; may also be of interest to entomologists and butterfly enthusiasts.—Shauna Frischkorn, Millersville Univ., PA

Harold Feinstein's distinguished career in photography began in 1950, when Edward Steichen purchased his work for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and exhibited it frequently during his tenure there. Feinstein's photographs have also been exhibited by and represented in the collections of the International Center of Photography, the George Eastman House, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Musie d'Art Moderne in Paris. His work has appeared in such periodicals as Life, Audubon, Connoisseur, and Popular Photography. He is the author of 100 Flowers, Foliage, The Infinite Rose, and The Infinite Tulip. Feinstein lives in Merrimac, Massachusetts.

Fred Gagnon is curator of butterflies at Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens in South Deerfield, Massachusetts, wherehe tends over three thousand butterflies from Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, and North America.