Missouri Botanical Garden’s rare book collection levels up with first edition Catesby texts

Missouri Botanical Garden’s Peter H. Raven Library is home to roughly 8,000 rare books dating back to 1464, including Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” and Carl Linnaeus’ “Species Plantarum 1st Edition.” In late August, the library added two more rare texts to their collection: the first edition of Mark Catesby’s “The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands etc. 1731-1743.” This work by Catesby, who was the first naturalist to illustrate birds in their natural habitat, represents the science world’s first documentation of the flora and fauna of any part of North America. Peter H. Raven Library director Holly Hubenschmidt shares the scientific, historic and cultural impact of Catesby’s work, and the Garden’s mission to collect books from around the world that capture new plant species.