Little is known of Moses Harris, the author of this work on insects. He appears to have collected and drawn butterflies and moths from a young age and was encouraged to pursue entomology by his uncle, a member of the Aurelian Society. In 1762, Harris became secretary to a short-lived second iteration of the society, a precursor of the modern Royal Entomological Society.

In 1766, Harris published the most famous of his books on insects, The Aurelian, or, natural history of English insects. The book contained 44 finely-produced plates and despite its expense – plates sold individually for 2s 6d, with the entire volume costing five guineas – it was remarkably popular.

In 1775, Harris issued his English Lepidoptera, a book on butterflies and moths, that was intended to serve as a companion to The Aurelian. This book, An Exposition of English insects, followed in 1780. The Exposition was the first work to provide scientific descriptions and accurate illustrations of several species of dragonfly and damselfly, and, like The Aurelian, it was a popular text, reissued several times before the end of the century.