William Bartram (1739-1823) was America's first native born naturalist, artist, and botanist and first author in the modern genre of writers who portrayed nature through scientific examination as well as personal understanding. The son of noted botanist, John Bartram, William, from his mid teens, was noted for the quality of his botanic and ornithological drawings. His role in the maintenance of his father's botanic garden sparked William's interest in the scientific field, adding many rare species to it. In 1773, William embarked upon a four-year journey through the eight southern colonies ranging from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, to the Carolinas, Florida and Mississippi. "The Travels of William Bartram" is an account of this journey that combines the natural sciences, travel and philosophy in a literature style that is not just solely scientific. The book entails the many native flora and fauna he discovered, encounters with the intrepid Seminoles Indians, battles with aggressive alligators, and observations on God's device for Nature.
