The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History

Description

Winner of the inaugural Theodore Roosevelt Association Book Prize A captivating account of how Theodore Roosevelt’s lifelong passion for the natural world set the stage for America’s wildlife conservation movement and determined his legacy as a founding father of today’s museum naturalism. No U.S. president is more popularly associated with nature and wildlife than is Theodore Roosevelt—prodigious hunter, tireless adventurer, and ardent conservationist. We think of him as a larger-than-life original, yet in The Naturalist , Darrin Lunde has firmly situated Roosevelt’s indomitable curiosity about the natural world in the tradition of museum naturalism. As a child, Roosevelt actively modeled himself on the men (including John James Audubon and Spencer F. Baird) who pioneered this key branch of biology by developing a taxonomy of the natural world—basing their work on the experiential study of nature. The impact that these scientists and their trailblazing methods had on Roosevelt shaped not only his audacious personality but his entire career, informing his work as a statesman and ultimately affecting generations of Americans’ relationship to this country’s wilderness. Drawing on Roosevelt’s diaries and travel journals as well as Lunde’s own role as a leading figure in museum naturalism today, The Naturalist reads Roosevelt through the lens of his love for nature. From his teenage collections of birds and small mammals to his time at Harvard and political rise, Roosevelt’s fascination with wildlife and exploration culminated in his triumphant expedition to Africa, a trip which he himself considered to be the apex of his varied life. With narrative verve, Lunde brings his singular experience to bear on our twenty-sixth president’s life and constructs a perceptively researched and insightful history that tracks Roosevelt’s maturation from exuberant boyhood hunter to vital champion of serious scientific inquiry. Review: TR, a man of his time. - The book points out the discrepency betweenTR's motives for hunting and preserving wild areas. He was definitely a sport hunter, killing wildlife for recreation. He also was an intelligent observer and student of nature. He did, however, fail to discern basic ecological relationships. He, as most of his contemporaries, viewed predators as vermin to be killed at any opportunity. The same day that he killed a bull snake in the process of killing its prey, a jackrabbit (predator/prey) in order to save the rabbit, he went out and killed a pronghorn. Was his motive for killing prey more justified than that of the snake? There was no victory dance for the snake, but TR let loose with one, shouting, "I got him!" (the pronghorn) twice. His actions that day seemed to be at odds with his precept of having a "soundness of head" rather than a "softness of heart". Yes, TR accomplished some good for conservation through the power of the presidency, but if one is discerning, he also did a lot of damage on an individual basis. His hunting exploits over the years were certainly for personal pleasure, yet at least some were justified as for scientific collection. If one reads enough about TR, reads his own words, it is obvious (or should be) where he was "coming from". This book was well written and interesting, but it was written by an animal collector. For many TR is the kind of man that can easily become a hero. Review: Excellent choice! - A gift to an avid reader and lover of American history. The reader was surprised to learn new and fascinating things about Teddy. The reader, at age 96, thought she knew all there was to know! I was inspired to choose this book after watching Kevin Costner’s program about Yellowstone National Park…..NOT meaning the mini series.