One hundred years before J. J. Audubon, Mark Catesby (1682-1749) traveled from England to the new world on a legendary discovery expedition. Arriving in South Carolina in 1722, he explored the colonial wilderness on foot and horseback for five years, taking notes, collecting specimens and making drawings.

 His finished work, The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and The Bahama Islands, published before the American Revolution, stands today as the first illustrated work of American flora and fauna to depict the entire spectrum of life forms: mammal, bird, plant, insect, fish, reptile and amphibian.

The Natural History consists of two hundred plates. The "Appendix", compiled from specimens available in England, added twenty more. The work was completed in 1747 and remains a monument in American science and natural history art.

Price range: $800 - $12,000