Anna Botsford Comstock (September 1, 1854 – August 24, 1930) is the best-selling author of The Handbook of Nature Study (1911) now in its 24th edition. Comstock was an early American artist and trained wood engraver known for illustrating [with] her husband, John Henry Comstock, entomological textbooks including their first joint effort, The Manual for the Study of Insects (1885). Comstock worked with Liberty Hyde Bailey, John Walton Spencer, Alice McCloskey, Julia Rogers, and Ada Georgia as part of the department of Nature Study at Cornell University. Together they wrote nature study curricula to develop a curiosity for, and education of, the surrounding natural world. Comstock also was a proponent for conservationism by instilling a love and appreciation of the natural world around us.

wikiped“Anna Botsford Comstock.” Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Botsford_Comstock. Accessed 13 Nov. 2021.

A great article & biography of Anna Botsworth Comstock’s life and influence:

Anna Botsford Comstock: Trailblazer in Nature Education – Plant Talk

Posted in From the Library on June 16 2017, by Samantha D’Acunto Samantha D’Acunto is the Reference Librarian at The New York Botanical Garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library. On September 1, 1854 in Cattaraugua County, New York, a girl by the name of Anna Botsford was born.

A Manual for the Study of Insects

Biodiversity Heritage Library

A manual for the study of insects Ithaca, N.Y.,Comstock Publishing Company,1895. Biodiversity Heritage Library Copyright Status:Public domain. The BHL considers that this work is no longer under copyright protection.

Here’s the full book of Handbook for Nature Study:

Handbook of Nature-study for Teachers and Parents

Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features