Paynes Prairie, The Great Savanna: A History and Guide.

Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc., 2004. Second Edition. Octavo, softbound (full-color photograph illustrated stiff wrappers), 163 pp. Fine. From lower cover: The shallow-bowl basin south of Gainesville called Paynes Prairie is known to most Florida travelers only as the vast, low, open area they see from their cars speeding north or south on I-75. Paynes Prairie is now a nature sanctuary crisscrossed by hiking and biking paths and dotted with observation posts on both sides of Highway 441. Not since naturalist William Bartram’s 1774 journal has a book been written about this unique area. The wildlife and plants of the Prairie fascinated Bartram, who penned fantastic descriptions of its tranquility and beauty. Lars Andersen chronicles the many changes that have occurred on the Prairie since Bartram’s journal was published -- indeed since prehistoric animals and then people chose to settle on the Prairie and partake of its natural riches. But change has been the hallmark of Paynes Prairie, whose history is as fascinating as that of Florida itself.