Catesby's Natural History

Stephen A. Harris (BSc, PhD)

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English

Bodleian Library
01 November 2024

Botanical art; History of the Americas; Mathematics & Sciences; The Earth: natural history general

Mark Catesby was an eighteenth-century naturalist and artist whose work on the natural history of North America and the Caribbean still has resonance today. During the course of several perilous trips he collected specimens and made extensive observations in the field, gathering material that would eventually become The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, featuring 220 elaborate and distinctive hand-coloured plates.

Widely appreciated in their time, Catesby's stunning illustrations, with their striking combinations of animals and plants, together with the first-hand observations he made, catalysed interest in the natural history of Colonial America and established his work as a key reference for the scientific understanding of natural history. As an artist, Catesby meticulously recording the environment, sifting fact from fiction about the lives of the plants and animals he observed. As a collector, he introduced many living plants to Britain, thereby changing European gardens forever.

This beautiful book, which reproduces all the plates, shows how Catesby's practical field experience shaped his work in all areas. Whether through the now-extinct species he recorded or the cultural changes he witnessed, his research continues to be relevant, demonstrating the vulnerability and fragility of the natural world.

By: Stephen A. Harris (BSc PhD)
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 330mm, Width: 240mm,
Weight: 666g
ISBN: 9781851246397
ISBN 10: 1851246398
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Stephen A. Harris is Druce Curator of Oxford University Herbaria.

Reviews for Catesby's Natural History

More than 200 plates depicting the flora and fauna of North America and the Caribbean, hand-coloured by the influential 18th-century naturalist Mark Catesby, are printed here in full splendour, accompanied by a thorough argument for Catesby’s significance in the history of naturalism. * Off the Shelf *