The Curious Mister Catesby: A "Truly Ingenious" Naturalist Explores New Worlds (Wormsloe Foundation Nature Books)

About this book

In 1712 English naturalist Mark Catesby (16831749) 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 Catesbys biography alongside the historical and scientific significance of his work. Ultimately this lavishly illustrated volume advances knowledge of Catesbys 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.