Synopses & Reviews
In 1712, English naturalist Mark Catesby (1683andndash;1749) crossed the Atlantic to Virginia. After a seven-year stay, he returned to England with paintings of plants and animals he had studied. They sufficiently impressed other naturalists that in 1722 several Fellows of the Royal Society sponsored his return to North America. There Catesby cataloged the flora and fauna of the Carolinas and the Bahamas by gathering seeds and specimens, compiling notes, and making watercolor sketches. Going home to England after five years, he began the twenty-year task of writing, etching, and publishing his monumental
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands.
Mark Catesby was a man of exceptional courage and determination combined with insatiable curiosity and multiple talents. Nevertheless no portrait of him is known. The international contributors to this volume review Catesbyandrsquo;s biography alongside the historical and scientific significance of his work. Ultimately, this lavishly illustrated volume advances knowledge of Catesbyandrsquo;s explorations, collections, artwork, and publications in order to reassess his importance within the pantheon of early naturalists.
Contributors: Kraig Adler, Aaron M. Bauer, Janet Browne, David J. Elliott, W. Hardy Eshbaugh, Kay Etheridge, Stephen A. Harris, Valerie Herbert, Suzanne Linder Hurley, C. E. Jarvis, Shepard Krech III, Mark Laird, Henrietta McBurney, Judith Magee, Sarah Meacham, Cynthia P. Neal, Charles Nelson, Leslie K. Overstreet, Florence F. J. M. Pieters, Ghillean T. Prance, Diana Preston, Michael Preston, Karen Reeds, James L. Reveal, Robert Robertson, Marcus B. Simpson, Jr.
Review
andldquo;The Curious Mister Catesby is an absorbing blend of early colonial history in the American Southeast and the Bahamas, with the rich fauna and flora the settlers freshly contained. Catesby emerges as one of the first true naturalists of the New World.andrdquo;andmdash;E. O. Wilson, University Professor Emeritus of Entomology, Harvard University
Review
andldquo;Mark Catesby, the English naturalist and artist, as well as his considerable accomplishments, is given new life in this well-written, multiauthored account. Emphasis is placed on Catesbyandrsquo;s travels in North America that led to his monumental volumes on the flora and fauna of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas. The book is an important addition to the library of the history of the natural history of colonial America.andrdquo;andmdash;William D. Anderson Jr., professor of marine biology, Grice Marine Biological Laboratory, College of Charleston
Review
andquot;A landmark book filled with introspective and concise essays, each developed with a richness of detail, revealing the absorbing portrait of a self-taught artist from Suffolk who had an insatiable curiosity about nature. Wonderfully readable, this classic is an engaging introduction to Catesbyand#39;s timeless illustrations and to his keen observation of the natural world. Like an investigation by forensic scientists the contemplative and thorough scholarship of these authors reveals new insight into Catesby, his journeys, his peers, and the inexhaustible pursuit of botanical and zoological specimens in an eighteenth-century world.andquot;andmdash;Marian Hill, former president of the Garden Club of America
Review
andquot;The naturalist Catesby has been unfairly underrepresented. . . . He receives his due in this volume with essays by 26 authorities, primarily American and English academics, plus 238 color illustrations. . . . This work contains new material on the pioneering naturalist and artist and is thoroughly referenced with chapter notes and an extensive bibliography. Appendixes list all of Catesbyandrsquo;s paintings with modern scientific and common names for all plants and animals. This work of scholarships is a joy to behold. It will interest naturalists, art historians, and American historians.andquot; andmdash;Library Journaland#160;(Starred)and#160;
About the Author
E. Charles Nelson is a botanist who served for two decades as a Horticultural Taxonomist at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin. He served as Honorary Editor of Archives of Natural History (1999andndash;2012) and has written or edited, singly or collaboratively, nearly forty books. His most recent title is Shadow among Splendours: Lady Charlotte Wheeler-Cuffeandrsquo;s Adventures among the Flowers of Burma, 1897andndash;1921. David J. Elliott is founder, chairman, and now Honorary Trustee of the Kiawah Island Natural Habitat Conservancy. He has been executive director of the Catesby Commemorative Trust since 2002.