Art, Science and History on the Bartram Trail

Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th,  Read (Think) Books will be at the Bartram Trail Conference held at Ravine State Gardens. (The store will also be open, of course!) The conference, which extends through Sunday with a host of outdoor events such as canoeing and hiking, will examine the enduring legacy of William Bartram, naturalist and artist, whose 1791 book described and illustrated the flora and fauna of the mostly unexplored southeastern landscape and the Native Americans who lived there.

The conference includes panel discussions about Bartram's art and writing, the Native Americans and escaped slaves he met along the way, and how to best create a connected interpretative whole out of the separate Bartram sites along the St. Johns River. On Saturday evening, in conjunction with the Keep Putnam Beautiful ArtoberFest. there will be a music, food, historical displays and events such as river taxi excursions at the Palatka Riverfront Park & SJR Center.

Books available at the conference are listed below. Supplies will be limited, so get yours early! (But if you miss out, we can always special order them for you.)

Andrea Wulf

• The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession
• Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
• The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World

Bill Belleville

• The Peace of Blue: Water Journeys
• River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River

Thomas Hallock and Nancy Hoffman
William Bartram, the Search for Nature's Design: Selected Art, Letters & Unpublished Writings

Sandra Wallus Sammons
John and William Bartram: Travelers in Early America

Mark Van Doren (Editor)
Travels of William Bartram

G. Kent
Hiking in North Florida with William Bartram: 25 Hikes

Francis Harper
The Travels of William Bartram: Naturalist Edition

Dorinda Dallmeyer
Bartram's Living Legacy: The Travels and the Nature of the South

Charlotte Porter and Kathryn Braund
Fields of Vision: Essays on the Travels of William Bartram

The conference extends through Sunday. For more information, you can check out the conference agenda.