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

Theodore Roosevelt's interest in natural history began at eight years old when he saw a dead harbor seal in the window of a grocery store near his home. The animal so fascinated him that he ran home to get a notebook and a ruler so he could measure the animal and write about its appearance. At twelve he donated a snowy owl he had stuffed to the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

This book is not only a history of Roosevelt's work as a museum naturalist but a short history of the creation of the field of natural history in this country and an introduction to the other naturalists who influenced, worked with, or were rivals of Roosevelt. Engrossing story written by a modern naturalist whose insights adds much to the story.