Stratton Porter - The Harvester: The Bestseller of 1912

Gene was entirely self-taught as well as being highly skilled as both a nature photographer and naturalist.

Her first attributed novel was 'The Song of the Cardinal' (1903), about a red bird living along the Wabash River. The book explained how birds lived in their habitats and also included her photographs. It was a modest success.

For her next novel 'Freckles', Gene decided to combine nat...