Some of the first and clearest insights into Maine's early English settlements are offered by writer, naturalist and folklorist John Josselyn (1608 - 1675). Josselyn visited Black Point (now Scarborough) in 1638 and 1639 and in 1663 to 1671) and authored two enduring volumes, New-England Rarities Discovered (1672) and An Account of Two Voyages to New England (1674). Oft quoted, anthologized and republished, they record plants, animals, life styles of Native Americans and European colonists, as well as stories of mermen and sea-serpents told the author by locals. Written at a time of peace and prosperity in the Province of Maine, the books remain primary sources of information and classics of their kind.