Travels Into North America, Volume 1

Renown 18th century Finnish explorer, naturalist, and botanist, Pehr (Peter) Kalm, was commissioned in 1747 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to travel to North America to gather seeds and plants that could prove agriculturally profitable. He spent much of his time in the Hudson River Valley and along the Saint Lawrence River waterway studying fauna and flora of the regions. He made numerous observations regarding the medicinal properties of various plants. Along the way, he also recorded the customs, societal structures, and commerce of various European and indigenous cultures. Kalm’s record provides valuable insight into life as it was in mid-18th century North America.In this first volume of Travels Into North America, Peter Kalm records his travels to the North American continent. He focuses much of his exploration in what is now eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. He includes such interesting topics as an explanation for the rampant tooth decay exhibited in many Europeans, as well as various anecdotes from cities and towns throughout the region.