Mark Catesby (1683-1749)

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The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands: Containing the Figures of Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects, and Plants: Particularly the Forest-trees, Shrubs, and Other Plants, not Hitherto Described, or Very Incorrectly Figured by Authors. London: Printed at the expence of the author, 1731-43.

No exhibit of early natural history books is complete without Catesby's impressive work, the first published work to describe the flora and fauna of the Americas. Catesby moved from England to Virginia in 1710, not returning until 1719 with extensive natural history collections. Catesby returned to America in 1722, this time settling in the Carolinas, until his 1726 return to England to write the present text.

Although primarily a botanist, Catesby was active in the period before natural history was divided into various specialized scientific disciplines, including ornithology. He is credited with being the first to document American birds in their natural habitats through the use of hand-colored illustrations.