John Bachman (1790-1874) was an internationally renowned naturalist and a prominent Lutheran minister. This is the first collection of his writings, containing selections from his three major books, his letters, and his articles on plants and animals, education, religion, agriculture, and the human species.

Bachman was the leading authority on North American mammals. He was responsible for the descriptions of the 147 mammal species included in "Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America," a massive work produced in collaboration with John James Audubon. Bachman relied entirely on...