Romans, Bernard ; Edited by Braund, Kathryn E. Holland

A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida [Annotated Edition]

Tuscaloosa and London: The University of Alabama Press, 1999. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. The first fully annotated edition of Bernard Romans’s 18th-century masterpiece. Originally published in 1775, Romans’s work is one of the most significant and rare early descriptions of the American Southeast. 

This modern scholarly edition, edited by historian Kathryn Braund, provides critical context to Romans’s observations of European-settled areas and the neighboring Indigenous territories in present-day Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It remains an essential primary source for the study of colonial natural history, cartography, and ethnography.

SPECS: Octavo (9.5 inches tall); 442 pages with Chapter Notes, Bibliography, and Index.Features a fold-out map and chart, along with in-text maps and illustrations. First Edition, First Printing.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
+++ The Scholarship: The first edition to offer full annotations, making the dense 1775 text accessible to modern researchers.
+++ Scope: Covers the natural history, geography, and Indigenous cultures of East and West Florida during the British Period.
+++ Cartography: Includes reproductions of Romans’s critical mapping work which influenced navigation in the Gulf and Atlantic for decades.
+++ The Editor: Kathryn E. Holland Braund is a preeminent scholar of the Creek Indians and the colonial Southeast.

CONDITION: Fine / Fine. No flaws or blemishes; the volume shows only the most minimal shelf handling. The binding is tight and square; the text block is pristine. The dust jacket is crisp and vibrant. Gift quality.

HISTORICAL SUMMARY ---
Bernard Romans was a Dutch-born surveyor and naturalist whose 1775 Concise Natural History was the first book of its kind to be published in the American colonies.
His work was a rival to William Bartram's, though Romans focused more heavily on the practicalities of navigation and the harsh realities of the frontier.
His observations on the Seminole and Creek nations are considered foundational to Southeastern ethnohistory. This 1999 edition restored Romans's voice to the academic record, correcting two centuries of fragmented and rare-copy accessibility.

Subjects: British Florida History, Colonial Natural History, Bernard Romans, Southeastern Indians, 18th Century Cartography, West Florida, Gulf Coast Exploration, Annotated Edition, Natural History, Regional History, First Edition.

Item #19124
ISBN: 0817308768

Price: $75.00