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Cargando... Lakeside Classics 2010 Travels Through South Carolina, Georgia, and Floridapor William Bartram, Thomas P. Slaughter
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Pertenece a las series editorialesLakeside Classics (book 108) Contenido en
The son of a naturalist, William Bartram (1739-1823) was commissioned to undertake a tour of south-eastern North America in 1773. Collecting seeds, taking specimens and making meticulous drawings and observations of previously unknown flora and fauna, his four-year expedition took him from the foothills of the Appalachians, through Florida and on to the Mississippi. First published in 1791, within ten years this account had been translated into German, French and Dutch. A unique historical record now, and of particular interest at the time, his accounts of the Seminole, Creek and Cherokee Indians were seen by contemporaries as being sympathetic towards peoples commonly regarded as little better than savages, but his writings persuaded others of the need for a more humane approach to the indigenous people. This work influenced not only scientists, but writers such as Wordsworth and Coleridge, and it remains a classic of American science, history and literature. No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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 Google Books — Cargando...GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)917.5History and Geography Geography and Travel Geography of and travel in North America Southeastern U.S.Clasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio: (4.67)
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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. (