Now in paperback, the surprising story of our "naturalist president," Theodore Roosevelt, and how his lifelong passion for the natural world set the stage for America's wildlife conservation movement
DARRIN LUNDE is a Supervisory Museum Specialist in the Division of Mammals at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Previously, he worked at the American Museum of Natural History, where he led field expeditions throughout the world. Lunde has named more than a dozen new species of mammals and provided valuable scientific insights on hundreds of others. He lives in Maryland.
Praise for The Naturalist
“Teasing apart aspects of ethics, morality, manliness and
environmentalism in Roosevelt’s approach to collecting, Lunde
reveals how the president’s impulses overlapped… The Naturalist
does highlight the crucial importance of maintaining such legacies.
It also helps to disentangle Roosevelt’s roles as hunter,
conservationist and museum man—and for anyone visiting Sagamore
Hill, it enriches contemplation of objects such as the bearskin rug
or rhino-foot inkwell.”
—Nature
“Lunde’s book offers a compact introduction to Roosevelt’s love of
the natural world, which vied with politics as his chief passion…
Lunde’s own writing is clear and well-paced.”
—Newsday
“The Naturalist makes it clear that, though Roosevelt never became
the full-time species-hunter and wildlife writer to which he
aspired as a youth, he left a lasting mark in the field… Today’s
conservationists may lionize Roosevelt as a champion of the
National Park System and of environmental legislation, but
Roosevelt probably would have been satisfied with the respect of a
museum man like Darrin Lunde.”
—Natural History
“[The Naturalist] sheds light on Teddy Roosevelt’s interests in the
natural world and his contributions to the environmental movement
in this mix of biography and examination of the field of natural
history preservation. Lunde covers Roosevelt’s environmental
activism and his accomplishments in political office, most notably
his lobbying for the establishment of Yellowstone National Park,
and impressively narrates how Roosevelt was able to pursue his
passions during a contentious political career.”
—Publishers Weekly
“More useful still is Lunde’s portrait of Roosevelt as a kind of
working amateur scientist in communication with professionals and
other amateurs to build scientific institutions and, indeed, field
science itself... this book offers well-considered interpretations
of the brainy naturalist and muscular adventurer.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Accessible to the lay reader and authenticated for the
historian.”
—Frederick J. Augustyn Jr., Lib. of Congress, Library Journal
“Scores of books already have written about Theodore Roosevelt’s
life and legacy as the 26th U.S. president, but until now none have
been written focusing on his role as a respected museum
naturalist... Both natural history and Roosevelt buffs will welcome
this absorbing addition to Teddy Roosevelt lore.”
—Booklist
“Theodore Roosevelt, arguably our greatest peacetime president,
left a lasting legacy of protecting America's natural beauty and
awakening a nation of urban dwellers to the wonders of the
outdoors. Darrin Lunde has captured Teddy's restless voice and
explored the depths of his curiosity, from Yellowstone to the
trails of Africa. This well-documented book reminds us of
Roosevelt's great gift in making us aware of the splendors of
natural history.”
—Thomas Maier, author of When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the
Kennedys
“Theodore Roosevelt comes alive in this vivid, textured portrait by
Darrin Lunde, himself one of our premier museum naturalists. I
can think of no one more qualified than Lunde to write
about Roosevelt’s love for trekking into nature, observing animal
behavior, and collecting specimens for scientific study.”
—Dr. Bill Schutt, zoologist and author of Hell’s Gate
“The Naturalist follows TR’s lifelong love of the outdoors and
of all wild things, illustrating how his dedication to the
scientific study of animals large and small both stimulated and
made sense of his love of hunting. In so doing, the book also
tells the important history of the country's first naturalists, how
they came to understand the country's wildlife and built our great
natural history museums. Understanding TR and American
naturalism in this way gives us new insight and, perhaps most
importantly, explains why all of these elements remain so vital to
the continued success of American conservation today.”
—Simon Roosevelt, founder of the Conservation Roundtable, member of
the Boone and Crockett Club
“A vivid portrait of the Do-Something President, embracing the
outdoors in giant strides. Though primarily a hunter,
Roosevelt ultimately found his place as a
Naturalist—a seeming contradiction that is at the core of
Lunde's narrative. A wonderfully readable one-volume account,
showing TR at his worst and best amid the irreplaceable wildlife of
two continents.”
—Julie Fenster, author of Jefferson's America and The Case of
Abraham Lincoln
“In this veritable page turner, Lunde introduces us to a Teddy
Roosevelt few people know, recounting Roosevelt's early years as an
aspiring naturalist and their profound influence on his worldview.
An astute observer (and ardent recorder) of nature, Roosevelt came
of age during the renaissance of North American natural history and
crossed paths—and, occasionally, swords—with the movement's most
prominent leaders. Many today may question the compatibility of
hunting and a sound conservation ethic, but in The Naturalist,
Lunde deftly and delightfully reminds us of their common
origin.”
—Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alaska Museum and
Professor of Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks
“Professional mammalogist Darrin Lunde has dissected Theodore
Roosevelt’s life through a lens only a scientist and naturalist can
masterfully present. We see our 26th President in a
refreshingly new light as a man haunted by a life-long desire to be
recognized and accepted as a faunal naturalist. His grand
exercise to finally achieve this objective was his 10-month African
safari. It was a true scientific and field collecting trip
for both the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History
that marked Roosevelt as a true scientist. The timeless
maelstrom and dichotomy of TR being an acclaimed naturalist, museum
collector and a conservationist, and yet a hunter, is addressed
head on by the author. TR was both out of necessity.
This book is a tour de force presenting Theodore Roosevelt as a man
we’ve not fully understood until now.”
—Lowell E. Baier, President Emeritus of the Boone and Crocket Club,
author of Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act
“Historians may define Theodore Roosevelt as a hard-charging
politician, military hero, or rugged individualist, but Darrin
Lunde does a masterful job of revealing our 26th president’s true
passion as a naturalist. Equally adept at ornithology, taxidermy,
and big game hunting, Roosevelt sought to bring the splendors of
nature to the cloistered city dweller by setting aside pristine
wilderness for national parks and inevitably establishing extensive
collections in the Smithsonian and American Museum of Natural
History for science and education. Truly, he was ‘The
Naturalist.’”
—Christopher Kinsey, James Smithson Society
“In this engaging narrative, Lunde explores Theodore
Roosevelt’s complex persona as a natural history museum aficionado,
scientific expedition leader, big-game hunter, and ardent
conservationist. This is a fresh and informed
look at how all these aspects of Theodore Roosevelt's life
came together to shape him as an individual, and ultimately,
to define the scientific and conservation ethos of a
nation.”
—Nicole Edmison, Smithsonian Institution
Ask a Question About this Product More... |