William Bartram, The Search for Nature's Design: Selected Art, Letters, and Unpublished Writings (Wormsloe Foundation Nature Books) Hardcover – Illustrated, May 25, 2010

William Bartram was the original flora and fauna in the SE of the USA. He studied all the original plants and animals in the mid 1700's. His original writings covered SC, GA, and Fl. He also studied the American Indians in their original locations before the government moved them out of their lands.I purchased 4 books to use as a reference point from prior to our Independence from England. The time-line of our Independence is not the basis of his research, it is a coincidence that he finished his research in 1776.All four books are extremely important for the over building to our states. Especially our coastal forests and marshes. These books contain species of flora and fauna that are either protected or gone. If only all areas of our country had reference books to compare what has happened during our last 250 years.I highly recommend that if you have the time; we need to use this reference points to stop the over building of our precious land that is still left untouched.

This book is essential for the Bartram aficionado. Every library needs a copy. The authors offer and explain the large volume of letters, manuscripts and journals written by William Bartram. The additional information sheds light on his TRAVELS. The letters to WB from his father and others such as Thomas Jefferson are fascinating. Chapters explain the character of William and his views on subjects other than botany and zoology – Native Americans, slavery, 18th century medicine, God. I am also impressed with the outstanding appendix material - The Illustrations by WB, The Chronology of WB’s Travels and The Index of Historic Plant Names. Included are over 100 Bartram illustrations and images. Thomas Hallock’s and Nancy Hoffmann’s editorial comments educate readers by explaining America’s first naturalist in a very interesting and thorough manner.

Pretty darn boring. But some nice illustrations

As other reviewers have noted, this volume offers resources for scholars in a large number of fields, but it presents an astonishing wealth of information to a general reader, too. For anyone who is interested in the environment, nature writing, or landscape design, it is a fascinating read. Beyond that, Bartram concerned himself with issues as widely diverse as the visual arts, moral philosophy, slavery, medicine, geography, and gardening. Anyone interested in the development of American culture will love it. I would argue that this is an important, beautifully edited and illustrated book for the general reader as well as for scholars.