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 * 'Catesby’s Natural History was pronounced a wonder when it was first published and is a wonder still...This is an important record of the natural history of sub-tropical North America,100 years after the first European settlements but before the American Revolution. The re-publication of the second edition of 1754, held in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, produced by its publishing arm at £50, and with several illuminating chapters by Stephen A. Harris, Druce Curator of Oxford University Herbaria, is an event to celebrate.' -- Ursula Buchan * The year’s best gardening books *