William Bartram (1739–1823)

The son of John Bartram, the earliest if not the first botanist, retraced a trip he took with his father ten years prior to this book. He covered the period from about 1773 to 1778. He traveled primarily alone while writing his notes and making samples and herbarium specimins which he shipped home. A great deal of his time was spent with various indian tribes in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Probably one of the more interesting discoveries was a late flowering shrub that was named after Benjamin Franklin: "Franklinia Alatamaha"

"First published in Philadelphia in 1791, the Dover Publications reprint edition dates from the period before Dover was nearly exclusively a paperback publishing concern; their hardback editions are uncommon especially with the dustjacket.

"This is the First Edition edited by Mark Van Doren."

It is truly a unique 18th century book of botanical research and other interests of the original author.… (más)

A grudging four stars for the reasons outlined below.

There are several problems with this book, some having to do with this edition and others having to do with this edition itself. First the edition.

This particular edition is the dreaded abridgment, even worse than the abhorred book club edition. I can only surmise the editors of Lakeside Classics wanted to keep the size of the volume more compact. Fortunately the omissions are in bulk and not in paraphrase. The editors also chose to use illustrations other than Bartram's originals for more than half of the pictures. Again, one can only surmise that the more colorful and accurate illustrations by Bartram's predecessor Mark Catesby and George Caitlin would be of more interest to the general reader.

The second issue is with Bartram's narrative itself. Bartram is notorious for exaggeration in size and quantity and license in chronology. Where 12 feet will do for an alligator's length, 22 feet is substituted. Similarly trees, storms, rivers, lakes, animals, and just about anything that will add to the astonishment of the reader is inflated beyond reason. Similarly events and occurrences are presented in a way to impress rather than accurately convey; an eclipse is interpolated that couldn't have occurred until at least a year after the expedition. This calls into question the rest of the chronology.

However, what one must keep in mind is that Bartram is one of the first American naturalists, a legacy he passed on to the likes of Audubon, Thoreau, and Muir. His wonder at the things in nature that he conveys is palpable and exciting. Bartram's awe at the previously unrecorded marvels he relates is conveyed to the reader. This alone makes the text a precedent for later American naturalists.

Many of the wonders natural, ecological, anthropological, and archaeological that Bartram first recorded were gone within only a few years. He was one of the earliest recorders of the vast prehistoric Ocmulgee Mississippian village near modern day Macon, GA.

I recommend anyone interested in this to seek the unexpurgated full account of Bartram's journey.… (más)