Mark Catesby’s Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands
This remarkable set is the result of the English naturalist Mark Catesby's voyage across the Atlantic in in what was to become the making of first illustrated record of the flora and fauna of North America. Catesby’s distinguished masterpiece, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida & the Bahama Islands, has been reproduced as a limited edition, full bound in red leather.
Only sixty facsimile copies of Catesby’s collection of 265 watercolours of “The Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects & Plants” are currently in existence, with the originals held in the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle. This edition is the only facsimile taken from the original watercolours.
Each volume is fully bound in red leather in a similar style to the bindings that once housed the original watercolours, and the volumes are hand-tooled with gold leaf on both the spine and the covers.
Mark Catesby’s Natural History of North America
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It is easy to underestimate just how extraordinary Mark Catesby was. The man who produced the first ever natural history of the American colonies – ‘The Birds, Beasts, Fishes, Serpents, Insects & Plants’ of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands’ – was born in Essex and raised in rural Suffolk.
His remarkable odyssey began in 1712. He travelled extensively in North America, sending seeds and plants back to England. When he returned to England in 1719 his work he was well received. Members of the Council of The Royal Society, chaired by Sir Isaac Newton, decreed that “… He would be a proper person to Observe Rarities…” and with their backing returned to North America in 1722. During his four years’ stay he travelled to the Bahamas, Georgia’s coast and extensively in South Carolina. It is the work created during this visit that formed the basis of his masterpiece.
Please note that each book is individually made up so if you were considering Catesby’s Natural History as a gift, or to commemorate an anniversary, a special dedication page can be printed and bound in.
Rediscover the age of enlightenment
The last ten sets of this exclusive edition are individually hand-bound to order, into four-volume sets with Catesby’s own introductory text and his detailed notes for each image. A blind-embossed chop incorporates the publishing mark and copyright symbol of the Royal Collection with the catalogue number of each image added in pencil. The plates for each image were purposefully destroyed after the print run was complete, reinforcing their lasting significance and historical value.
The front cover also carries King George III’s Royal Cypher. A preface by former Royal Librarian, Jane Roberts, and Catesby’s original text for each image has been included, as well as a title page, an index, and a map of Carolina, Florida and the Bahamas.
Each of the 265 images has been hand-printed, one colour at a time, using the stochastic lithographic process, that replicates the meticulous precision and vibrant colours of the original.
Scholarly advice on Mark Catesby’s Natural History of North America text has been provided by Leslie K. Overstreet, Curator of Natural History Rare Books, Smithsonian Libraries. In addition extensive indexes of Catesby’s original and common names and their modern name equivalent appear in the fourth volume. Identification of the illustrated plants and animals is by the late James L. Reveal, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University.
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