In this vibrantly told, meticulously researched book, Miles Harvey reveals one of the most fascinating and overlooked lives in American history. Like The Island of Lost Maps, his bestselling book about a legendary map thief, Painter in a Savage Land is a compelling search into the mysteries of the past. This is the thrilling story of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues, the first European artist to journey to what is now the continental United States with the express purpose of recording its wonders in pencil and paint. Le Moyne’s images, which survive today in a series of spectacular engravings, provide a rare glimpse of Native American life at the pivotal time of first contact with the Europeans–most of whom arrived with the preconceived notion that the New World was an almost mythical place in which anything was possible. Read more on Amazon

John B. Neukamm share’s this month’s review.

Grab a cup of coffee and join us monthly for an informal discussion about the best in Florida literature. Topics range from fiction to food, poetry to politics. Free with registration, the History Center’s book group meets in person and via Zoom from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Everyone is welcome!

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