I have included some reviews of Southern nature writings on my Substack publication, but there are a number of Tennesseeans and authors who have written about Tennessee that I have not included. I may not get to more than a passing knowledge of some of these persons, but I believ they all have made significant contributions to our states knowledge of the natural world, so I have posted them here as a formative document Perhaps one will catch the attention of a reader and spark you to do research of your own. If you think of someone I have missed, please feel free to mention their names in the comments section.
Many of the referenced works are available online.
Edward Abbey (1987 – 1989) was born in Home, Pennsylvania, and lived most of his adult life in the desert southwest, where many of his works are set. He authored the text for Elliot Porter's photographic montage, Appalachian Wilderness: The Great Smoky Mountains. The text is substantial, as coffee table books go. The editors also devoted a significant portion of the text to William Bartram and his book, frequently referred to as Bartram's Travels. The publisher included some of Bartram's original line drawings as illustrations. I have read portions of a copy I obained from a used book dealer and found it delightful.
https://www.abbeyweb.net/.
Dr. Hal DeSelm (1926-2011) was a plant ecologist who recorded plants present at over 3,000 sites in the state. His papers are preserved at the University of Tennessee, and a discussion of them appeared in The Hellbender Press. https://hellbenderpress.org/item/5-preserving-points-in-time-the-hal-deselm-papers
Wilma Dykeman (1920 – 2006) authored The French Broad for the American Rivers book series. A chapter titled "Who Killed the French Broad" brought the question of environmental issues to public attention years before Rachel Carson. An article about Dykeman appears in the Tennessee Encyclopedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Dykeman
Albert F. Ganier (1883 – 1973) was trained as an engineer, but birdwatching was his hobby. He published several articles in scientific journals. His books included A Distribution List of the Birds of Tennessee, Water Birds of Reelfoot Lake, and The Wildlife Met by Tennessee's First Settlers. The Biodiversity Heritage Library https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ includes archived papers. A collection of his photographs is available online.
https://sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/forms/ALBERT_F_GANIER_PHOTOGRAPHIC_COLLECTION_1900-1955.pdf
Dr. Augustin Gattinger (1825-1902) was a Physician and Botanist who immigrated from Germany. He served as the company physician at the copper mines in Copper Hill, Tennessee. He published a guide to medicinal plants of Tennessee and an annotated checklist of Tennessee Plants. The second volume includes "Philosophy of Botany," a review of scientific botany beginning with Aristotle. A brief biography appears on the website of the Tennessee Native Plant Society. https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/
Dr. Thomas Hemmerly (1932 – 2006) was a Botany professor at MTSU. He authored several wildflower guides, including Appalachian Wildflowers, Ozark Wildflowers, and Wildflowers of the Mid-South. He was one of four contributors to the project Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and Southern Appalachians. https://mtsunews.com/wildflower-festival-recalls-hemmerly/.
Dennis Horn was the senior author in the collaborative project, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and Southern Appalachians. He is a member of the Tennessee Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Committee.
https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/
Mary Paten Priestly is an associate curator at the Sewanee Herbarium. She edits The Plant Press, the Herbarium’s newsletter. She authored Sewanee Wildflowers in Color and edited the most recent edition of Under the Sun in Sewanee. Her children’s books are widely available.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7393756.Mary_Patten_Priestley
Mack Prichard (1939 – 2020) began his career with Tennessee State Parks while still in high school. He later served as State Archaeologist and later as State Naturalist with the Tennessee Department of Conservation and Environment. The Friends of South Cumberland State Park have developed a Mack Prichard Legacy Project with the online publication of Mack’s writing, video appearances, and photographs. https://www.mackprichard.com/.
Dr. Else Quarterman (1910 – 2014) was a plant ecologist who mentored doctoral students at Vanderbilt University. She is credited with rediscovering the Tennessee Coneflower, which was thought to be extinct, and preserving the fragile Cedar Glades of central Tennessee. She was published in academic journals and has a biography in the Tennessee Native Plant Society Hall of Fame. https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/.
Scott Somershoe is an ornithologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and authored Birds of Tennessee: A New Annotated Checklist. His book includes information on the status, distribution, and abundance of 415 species reported in the state. Check out his book on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25924280-birds-of-tennessee.
Dr. Eugene B. Wofford served as Herbarium Director and Curator at the University of Tennessee. He published numerous papers and guides to plant identification and remains a Tennessee Rare Plant Committee member. He is included in the Tennessee Native Plant Society Hall of Fame.
https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/.
Stephen Lyn Bales served as chief naturalist at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville and is a regular contriuter to The Hellbender Press. In his introduction to the book Ghost Birds, he stated that as he learned more about Jim Tanner and his research efforts to document the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, he became convinced that someone should write a book about Tanner. He had one book already, Natural histories, and said that writing a book is like putting socks on an octopus and that one does not wish to undertake the task again but write it he did. A list of his books with links and reviews appears on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/972322.Stephen_Lyn_Bales?from_search=true&from_srp=true
This collection of author’s names is likely incomplete, so please comment below if you notice any missing names.
Many of the referenced works are available online.
Edward Abbey (1987 – 1989) was born in Home, Pennsylvania, and lived most of his adult life in the desert southwest, where many of his works are set. He authored the text for Elliot Porter's photographic montage, Appalachian Wilderness: The Great Smoky Mountains. The text is substantial, as coffee table books go. The editors also devoted a significant portion of the text to William Bartram and his book, frequently referred to as Bartram's Travels. The publisher included some of Bartram's original line drawings as illustrations. I have read portions of a copy I obained from a used book dealer and found it delightful.
https://www.abbeyweb.net/.
Dr. Hal DeSelm (1926-2011) was a plant ecologist who recorded plants present at over 3,000 sites in the state. His papers are preserved at the University of Tennessee, and a discussion of them appeared in The Hellbender Press. https://hellbenderpress.org/item/5-preserving-points-in-time-the-hal-deselm-papers
Wilma Dykeman (1920 – 2006) authored The French Broad for the American Rivers book series. A chapter titled "Who Killed the French Broad" brought the question of environmental issues to public attention years before Rachel Carson. An article about Dykeman appears in the Tennessee Encyclopedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilma_Dykeman
Albert F. Ganier (1883 – 1973) was trained as an engineer, but birdwatching was his hobby. He published several articles in scientific journals. His books included A Distribution List of the Birds of Tennessee, Water Birds of Reelfoot Lake, and The Wildlife Met by Tennessee's First Settlers. The Biodiversity Heritage Library https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ includes archived papers. A collection of his photographs is available online.
https://sos-tn-gov-files.tnsosfiles.com/forms/ALBERT_F_GANIER_PHOTOGRAPHIC_COLLECTION_1900-1955.pdf
Dr. Augustin Gattinger (1825-1902) was a Physician and Botanist who immigrated from Germany. He served as the company physician at the copper mines in Copper Hill, Tennessee. He published a guide to medicinal plants of Tennessee and an annotated checklist of Tennessee Plants. The second volume includes "Philosophy of Botany," a review of scientific botany beginning with Aristotle. A brief biography appears on the website of the Tennessee Native Plant Society. https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/
Dr. Thomas Hemmerly (1932 – 2006) was a Botany professor at MTSU. He authored several wildflower guides, including Appalachian Wildflowers, Ozark Wildflowers, and Wildflowers of the Mid-South. He was one of four contributors to the project Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and Southern Appalachians. https://mtsunews.com/wildflower-festival-recalls-hemmerly/.
Dennis Horn was the senior author in the collaborative project, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and Southern Appalachians. He is a member of the Tennessee Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Committee.
https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/
Mary Paten Priestly is an associate curator at the Sewanee Herbarium. She edits The Plant Press, the Herbarium’s newsletter. She authored Sewanee Wildflowers in Color and edited the most recent edition of Under the Sun in Sewanee. Her children’s books are widely available.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7393756.Mary_Patten_Priestley
Mack Prichard (1939 – 2020) began his career with Tennessee State Parks while still in high school. He later served as State Archaeologist and later as State Naturalist with the Tennessee Department of Conservation and Environment. The Friends of South Cumberland State Park have developed a Mack Prichard Legacy Project with the online publication of Mack’s writing, video appearances, and photographs. https://www.mackprichard.com/.
Dr. Else Quarterman (1910 – 2014) was a plant ecologist who mentored doctoral students at Vanderbilt University. She is credited with rediscovering the Tennessee Coneflower, which was thought to be extinct, and preserving the fragile Cedar Glades of central Tennessee. She was published in academic journals and has a biography in the Tennessee Native Plant Society Hall of Fame. https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/.
Scott Somershoe is an ornithologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and authored Birds of Tennessee: A New Annotated Checklist. His book includes information on the status, distribution, and abundance of 415 species reported in the state. Check out his book on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25924280-birds-of-tennessee.
Dr. Eugene B. Wofford served as Herbarium Director and Curator at the University of Tennessee. He published numerous papers and guides to plant identification and remains a Tennessee Rare Plant Committee member. He is included in the Tennessee Native Plant Society Hall of Fame.
https://www.tnps.org/hall-of-fame/.
Stephen Lyn Bales served as chief naturalist at the Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville and is a regular contriuter to The Hellbender Press. In his introduction to the book Ghost Birds, he stated that as he learned more about Jim Tanner and his research efforts to document the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, he became convinced that someone should write a book about Tanner. He had one book already, Natural histories, and said that writing a book is like putting socks on an octopus and that one does not wish to undertake the task again but write it he did. A list of his books with links and reviews appears on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/972322.Stephen_Lyn_Bales?from_search=true&from_srp=true
This collection of author’s names is likely incomplete, so please comment below if you notice any missing names.
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