Mark Catesby (1679 - 1749). From the Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands. London: 1731-43. Engravings colored by hand. 14 x 21 inches sheet. This was the first Natural History book to use folio-sized color plates, as well as the first published account of the flora and fauna of North America. This is the most sweeping, complete, and unique natural history study ever done and is considered a crowning achievement of 18th-century art and science. This book provided an important model for later artists, including John James Audubon and Alexander Wilson.