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The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History
The surprising story of intrepid naturalist Theodore Roosevelt and how his lifelong passion for the natural world set the stage for America's wildlife conservation movement.
Perhaps no American president is more associated with nature and wildlife than Theodore Roosevelt, a prodigious hunter and adventurer and an ardent conservationist. We think of Roosevelt as an original, yet in The Naturalist, Darrin Lunde shows how from his earliest days Roosevelt actively modeled himself in the proud tradition of museum naturalists—the men who pioneered a key branch of American biology through their desire to collect animal specimens and develop a taxonomy of the natural world. The influence these men would have on Roosevelt would shape not just his personality but his career, informing his work as a politician and statesman and ultimately affecting generations of Americans' relationship to this country's wilderness. Pulling from Roosevelt's diaries and expedition journals, Lunde constructs a brilliantly researched, singularly insightful history that reveals the roots of Roosevelt’s enduring naturalist legacy through the group little-known men whose work and lives defined his own.
Perhaps no American president is more associated with nature and wildlife than Theodore Roosevelt, a prodigious hunter and adventurer and an ardent conservationist. We think of Roosevelt as an original, yet in The Naturalist, Darrin Lunde shows how from his earliest days Roosevelt actively modeled himself in the proud tradition of museum naturalists—the men who pioneered a key branch of American biology through their desire to collect animal specimens and develop a taxonomy of the natural world. The influence these men would have on Roosevelt would shape not just his personality but his career, informing his work as a politician and statesman and ultimately affecting generations of Americans' relationship to this country's wilderness. Pulling from Roosevelt's diaries and expedition journals, Lunde constructs a brilliantly researched, singularly insightful history that reveals the roots of Roosevelt’s enduring naturalist legacy through the group little-known men whose work and lives defined his own.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 9, 2016
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March 4, 2017
I received a copy of The Naturalist by Darrin Lunde for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and to Darrin Lunde for the opportunity.
I gravitate towards all things Theodore Roosevelt like a thirsty sailor after an endless diet of salt tack. Teddy's life was a robust adventure early on from his youth until his last breath. Darrin Lunde's intent was to present Roosevelt in the light of his naturalistic journey and the impact it had on his personal life and that of the country.
Theodore Roosevelt grew up in Manhattan within a well-to-do family. Manhattan certainly doesn't conjur up an environment for the pursuits of nature. However, it was his philanthropist father who encouraged Teddy's intense interest in nature and allowed his incessant collecting of specimens and his relentless documentations. Teddy possessed an abundance of examples within his "cabinet of curiosities". Roosevelt was a sickly child who fought constantly to overcome the limits that his asthma put upon him. One would find it hard to believe that the brawny and energetic Theodore Roosevelt was anything but that.
Roosevelt surrounded himself with the works of David Livingstone, Benjamin Franklin, James Audubon, and even P.T. Barnum who boasted over 850,000 specimens. What is at the core of this book is Lunde's description of what was presented as "naturalism" at this point in history. Chemical preservation and taxidermy were still a mystery and knowledge was gained under the observations made with a microscope by white-coated laboratory experiments. Such drawings and the like were kept by the box loads at The Smithsonian.
Lunde points out that Roosevelt brought a more "hands-on" approach to naturalism. He found that his pursuits in naturalistic academia were limited at the university and Roosevelt switched lanes toward a law degree. But later, in keeping with his naturalistic intent, Roosevelt took to the plains of the Midwest and the West sleeping on the ground and observing the plight of the bison. He followed the Pacific Railroad Survey plotting transcontinental routes while collecting specimens along the way.
But there is almost a duality here to Roosevelt. I wish, in some ways, that Lunde would have pursued this even more than he did. Roosevelt had a hunger for adventure as a hunter and at the same time he adhered to the preservation of nature and the seemingly endless fascination for the land areas of the United States, Africa, and South America. In some respects, Roosevelt was a walking dichotomy. His large mammal preservations fill The American Museum of Natural History. He adhered to bringing nature to the people when people lacked opportunity to nature. A different time and a different philosophy.
This book was well-researched by Lunde and he brings every effort to make it an interesting read while providing some lively scenarios into Roosevelt's life. No other President has made more inroads into the preservation of American nature and land areas than Roosevelt himself. And for that, Teddy, we are most grateful.
I gravitate towards all things Theodore Roosevelt like a thirsty sailor after an endless diet of salt tack. Teddy's life was a robust adventure early on from his youth until his last breath. Darrin Lunde's intent was to present Roosevelt in the light of his naturalistic journey and the impact it had on his personal life and that of the country.
Theodore Roosevelt grew up in Manhattan within a well-to-do family. Manhattan certainly doesn't conjur up an environment for the pursuits of nature. However, it was his philanthropist father who encouraged Teddy's intense interest in nature and allowed his incessant collecting of specimens and his relentless documentations. Teddy possessed an abundance of examples within his "cabinet of curiosities". Roosevelt was a sickly child who fought constantly to overcome the limits that his asthma put upon him. One would find it hard to believe that the brawny and energetic Theodore Roosevelt was anything but that.
Roosevelt surrounded himself with the works of David Livingstone, Benjamin Franklin, James Audubon, and even P.T. Barnum who boasted over 850,000 specimens. What is at the core of this book is Lunde's description of what was presented as "naturalism" at this point in history. Chemical preservation and taxidermy were still a mystery and knowledge was gained under the observations made with a microscope by white-coated laboratory experiments. Such drawings and the like were kept by the box loads at The Smithsonian.
Lunde points out that Roosevelt brought a more "hands-on" approach to naturalism. He found that his pursuits in naturalistic academia were limited at the university and Roosevelt switched lanes toward a law degree. But later, in keeping with his naturalistic intent, Roosevelt took to the plains of the Midwest and the West sleeping on the ground and observing the plight of the bison. He followed the Pacific Railroad Survey plotting transcontinental routes while collecting specimens along the way.
But there is almost a duality here to Roosevelt. I wish, in some ways, that Lunde would have pursued this even more than he did. Roosevelt had a hunger for adventure as a hunter and at the same time he adhered to the preservation of nature and the seemingly endless fascination for the land areas of the United States, Africa, and South America. In some respects, Roosevelt was a walking dichotomy. His large mammal preservations fill The American Museum of Natural History. He adhered to bringing nature to the people when people lacked opportunity to nature. A different time and a different philosophy.
This book was well-researched by Lunde and he brings every effort to make it an interesting read while providing some lively scenarios into Roosevelt's life. No other President has made more inroads into the preservation of American nature and land areas than Roosevelt himself. And for that, Teddy, we are most grateful.
April 26, 2016
In "The Naturalist," author Darrin Lunde, a specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, provides a comprehensive look into the experiences and ethics that shaped former US President Teddy Roosevelt's interest in conservation, naturalism, and wilderness protection. While other books have explored a more holistic view of Roosevelt the man and Roosevelt the presidency, Lunde's sole focus is to give the reader an understanding of Roosevelt as a "hunter-naturalist."
Roosevelt as a naturalist (and others from the era, like John Audubon) can make modern-day conservationists squirm. The ethos of their time was collect (e.g. kill) animals for scientific study, and to compile a "catalog" of known species. Though we may cringe at the means, "virtually everything we know about the morphology, geographic distribution, and ancestral relationships of animals is derived from the vast collections of specimens housed in museums." And we have Teddy Roosevelt to thank, not only for personally providing many specimens, but for establishing the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Lunde provides a detailed (at times, too detailed) history of Roosevelt's fascination with nature and the outdoors, which began in childhood. Beyond simply a hunter, Roosevelt knew an incredible amount about the science of naturalism, and generally prepared his own specimens (readers will get a short course on taxidermy in this book!) He also covers Roosevelt's leadership in establishing Yellowstone as the U.S.'s first national park, and other land preservation efforts.
While the topic is very interesting the book lagged in places. Rather than following a narrative non-fiction model, Lunde's book often comes across as a recitation of facts, which led to my disinterest. Some topics (descriptions of particular hunts and a continuing explanation of the hunter-naturalist mindset) were way too drawn out. Other topics, such as Roosevelt's impact on land preservation, felt short-changed.
I enjoyed this, but would hesitate to recommend to those without a strong interest in Roosevelt and/or early natural history.
3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Roosevelt as a naturalist (and others from the era, like John Audubon) can make modern-day conservationists squirm. The ethos of their time was collect (e.g. kill) animals for scientific study, and to compile a "catalog" of known species. Though we may cringe at the means, "virtually everything we know about the morphology, geographic distribution, and ancestral relationships of animals is derived from the vast collections of specimens housed in museums." And we have Teddy Roosevelt to thank, not only for personally providing many specimens, but for establishing the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Lunde provides a detailed (at times, too detailed) history of Roosevelt's fascination with nature and the outdoors, which began in childhood. Beyond simply a hunter, Roosevelt knew an incredible amount about the science of naturalism, and generally prepared his own specimens (readers will get a short course on taxidermy in this book!) He also covers Roosevelt's leadership in establishing Yellowstone as the U.S.'s first national park, and other land preservation efforts.
While the topic is very interesting the book lagged in places. Rather than following a narrative non-fiction model, Lunde's book often comes across as a recitation of facts, which led to my disinterest. Some topics (descriptions of particular hunts and a continuing explanation of the hunter-naturalist mindset) were way too drawn out. Other topics, such as Roosevelt's impact on land preservation, felt short-changed.
I enjoyed this, but would hesitate to recommend to those without a strong interest in Roosevelt and/or early natural history.
3 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 12, 2019
This is a side of the Colonel that isn't seen too often or properly. Yes, he's known for establishing many parks, the Smithsonian Natural History museum, & such, but his love of natural history goes back to his childhood. Even better, Lunde, a natural historian himself, explains exactly what the job entails, the sub-types, & how the job has changed in the past couple of centuries. He also makes a good point about how hunters are often good conservationists. Sure, they're shooting the animals, but they know & respect them. A decent hunter isn't going to kill off every animal. That's mostly the domain of commercial hunters & fools. True hunters want to the species to thrive.
The book lagged a bit at times & was a bit repetitive, but overall very good. The biggest complaint that I have is it stopped after his African safari which he paid for by writing a series of articles. Roosevelt killed a couple of hundred animals specifically for natural history museums. He brought along a large team of naturalists who killed thousands, but those were mostly small critters & birds so no one cared. That safari basically set up the Smithsonian's collection.
The book stops, but Roosevelt didn't. He was invited to lecture in Argentina & wound up trying to make a similar journey up the Amazon again with some naturalists in tow. By all accounts, it was a disaster & wound up killing him, but I would have liked to have read about it in this book. This is a pretty good, short article about the "River of Doubt" but it's a bit too short. Still, I don't really want to read The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey which is probably too detailed. It has 25% more pages than this book & covers a much shorter time. Anyway, I'm taking a star off an otherwise excellent book for this lack.
All in all, I was quite pleased at this look at Roosevelt. He was a remarkable man. I really want to read more of his books since this book provided too few examples of his writing, just a few of the more poetic phrases. It looks as if Gutenberg.org has a few dozen of them & I have a few in my collection.
I was also disappointed in the way this author presented The Naval War of 1812. No, it wasn't a big hit when it was published, but a few years later, the Navy put a copy aboard every vessel & it is considered a seminal work in the field. It's still very well regarded & is often required reading. Quite a feat for a 23 year old.
I definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in natural history or Roosevelt in any format. This was an audio book & very well narrated.
The book lagged a bit at times & was a bit repetitive, but overall very good. The biggest complaint that I have is it stopped after his African safari which he paid for by writing a series of articles. Roosevelt killed a couple of hundred animals specifically for natural history museums. He brought along a large team of naturalists who killed thousands, but those were mostly small critters & birds so no one cared. That safari basically set up the Smithsonian's collection.
The book stops, but Roosevelt didn't. He was invited to lecture in Argentina & wound up trying to make a similar journey up the Amazon again with some naturalists in tow. By all accounts, it was a disaster & wound up killing him, but I would have liked to have read about it in this book. This is a pretty good, short article about the "River of Doubt" but it's a bit too short. Still, I don't really want to read The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey which is probably too detailed. It has 25% more pages than this book & covers a much shorter time. Anyway, I'm taking a star off an otherwise excellent book for this lack.
All in all, I was quite pleased at this look at Roosevelt. He was a remarkable man. I really want to read more of his books since this book provided too few examples of his writing, just a few of the more poetic phrases. It looks as if Gutenberg.org has a few dozen of them & I have a few in my collection.
I was also disappointed in the way this author presented The Naval War of 1812. No, it wasn't a big hit when it was published, but a few years later, the Navy put a copy aboard every vessel & it is considered a seminal work in the field. It's still very well regarded & is often required reading. Quite a feat for a 23 year old.
I definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in natural history or Roosevelt in any format. This was an audio book & very well narrated.
February 27, 2016
Lunde is a Supervisory Museum Specialist within the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, and here he brings his expertise to the complicated character of Theodore Roosevelt and the development of natural history study in the United States. I have read a great deal about Roosevelt in the past year, and I felt Lunde tackled his contradictory nature in a thoughtful way. It can be hard to understand how Roosevelt, a man who professed to love animals, was also an adept killer of these animals. Roosevelt's idea of conservation is different from our modern approach--when he learned a species was nearing extinction, he wanted to hunt it, collect it, before it was totally gone. However, this wasn't done in an entirely wanton way, either; he didn't kill en masse, he didn't waste what was killed, and he contributed vast amounts of skins and skeletons to the Smithsonian and other institutions so they could be used for science and public education.
Lunde goes into detail about how animals are skinned and the hides preserved; I found this fascinating, though some readers may be squeamish. I enjoyed learning about the background behind the antebellum nature movement, too--"muscular" Christianity and how hunting fit into that ideal of manhood. However, I felt the book was uneven in significant ways. I wanted to learn more about the establishment of national parks and refuge areas, and Roosevelt's presidency was largely glossed over because he was unable to hunt through most of the time. When the famous "teddy bear" incident is related, to my surprise, Lunde never mentioned that teddy bears as stuffed animals came about because of it. It's a tangential connection to the natural history, sure, but it's still a connection and one of Roosevelt's everyday legacies.
I was especially surprised at how much of the book detailed on Roosevelt's African safari. It takes up some 70 pages (of my advanced reader copy) out of a 260-pages book. Certainly, it showed how he contributed a vast amount of material to the Smithsonian (in a way that was personally relevant to the author's field of study) but it also felt out of proportion with the rest of Roosevelt's life.
Lunde goes into detail about how animals are skinned and the hides preserved; I found this fascinating, though some readers may be squeamish. I enjoyed learning about the background behind the antebellum nature movement, too--"muscular" Christianity and how hunting fit into that ideal of manhood. However, I felt the book was uneven in significant ways. I wanted to learn more about the establishment of national parks and refuge areas, and Roosevelt's presidency was largely glossed over because he was unable to hunt through most of the time. When the famous "teddy bear" incident is related, to my surprise, Lunde never mentioned that teddy bears as stuffed animals came about because of it. It's a tangential connection to the natural history, sure, but it's still a connection and one of Roosevelt's everyday legacies.
I was especially surprised at how much of the book detailed on Roosevelt's African safari. It takes up some 70 pages (of my advanced reader copy) out of a 260-pages book. Certainly, it showed how he contributed a vast amount of material to the Smithsonian (in a way that was personally relevant to the author's field of study) but it also felt out of proportion with the rest of Roosevelt's life.
May 28, 2021
I won an ARC of this book in a goodreads drawing.
This is a biography of Teddy Roosevelt seen through the prism of his career as a naturalist. It traces his interest as an asthma stricken youth, through his African expedition. The book also traces the history of natural science from the earliest beginnings as cabinets of curiosities to the grand museums of today.
A good biography of TR with a different twist. Very satisfying.
This is a biography of Teddy Roosevelt seen through the prism of his career as a naturalist. It traces his interest as an asthma stricken youth, through his African expedition. The book also traces the history of natural science from the earliest beginnings as cabinets of curiosities to the grand museums of today.
A good biography of TR with a different twist. Very satisfying.
January 19, 2016
I received an advance reader's copy from the publisher through Netgalley.
This book provides a detailed background into the influences that formed Theodore Roosevelt's lifelong interest in animals. The author is a present-day naturalist who works at the Smithsonian, so he has a unique interest in Roosevelt's life and the circumstances behind the founding of today's great natural history museums.
Roosevelt's view of animal life was certainly interesting - he enjoyed wildlife in a time when a large part of science included killing and cataloging species before humans destroyed habitats and drove species to extinction (particularly in the American west and Africa). The author explains how men like Audubon, Peale and others established naturalism and then Roosevelt made it his own. (P.T. Barnum even makes an appearance but on the opposite side.)
I was surprised that the book goes into a lot of detail on the hunting and preserving of animals (killing, cleaning, preserving the skins, shipping, etc.) but not much on Roosevelt's actions to set aside public lands. I can see how the author writes about his passion, but it I expected a more balanced story. (And isn't that a picture of Roosevelt at Yosemite on the cover? Yosemite isn't even referenced in the ARC.)
I enjoyed this book but the focus on wildlife collection wore on me before the end. A more apt title could have been Theodore Roosevelt's Passion for Collecting and Understanding Animals - not a bad topic but more descriptive of the text.
This book provides a detailed background into the influences that formed Theodore Roosevelt's lifelong interest in animals. The author is a present-day naturalist who works at the Smithsonian, so he has a unique interest in Roosevelt's life and the circumstances behind the founding of today's great natural history museums.
Roosevelt's view of animal life was certainly interesting - he enjoyed wildlife in a time when a large part of science included killing and cataloging species before humans destroyed habitats and drove species to extinction (particularly in the American west and Africa). The author explains how men like Audubon, Peale and others established naturalism and then Roosevelt made it his own. (P.T. Barnum even makes an appearance but on the opposite side.)
I was surprised that the book goes into a lot of detail on the hunting and preserving of animals (killing, cleaning, preserving the skins, shipping, etc.) but not much on Roosevelt's actions to set aside public lands. I can see how the author writes about his passion, but it I expected a more balanced story. (And isn't that a picture of Roosevelt at Yosemite on the cover? Yosemite isn't even referenced in the ARC.)
I enjoyed this book but the focus on wildlife collection wore on me before the end. A more apt title could have been Theodore Roosevelt's Passion for Collecting and Understanding Animals - not a bad topic but more descriptive of the text.
December 27, 2019
I’ll go ahead and finish it as I’m only 2 hours out from the end but I’ve had it - even as someone with a great fondness for Teddy Roosevelt, the man was downright pathological about hunting. The fact that the author is a specimen hunter doesn’t help - he’s hopelessly compromised, and I cannot take one more instance of Roosevelt receiving criticism in his own lifetime of the recklessness, childishness and ultimate destruction of his big game hunting - criticism which the author waves away like so much incoherent ranting. Well who is fucking validated now, Mr. Lunde? I’ll never get to see any of this big game, because it was all killed. TR wasn’t a real specimen hunter, he was an insecure man with a monstrous ego who liked to dress up his blood thirst by donating his kills to museums. For Christ’s sake, I’m at the big African safari and the man is half-blind, a poor shot, obliterating the animals he encounters with buck shot. Instead of taking on a big lion man-to-man - which at least would be the kind of “fair fight” he advocated in his youth - he’s galloping along on horseback with repeating rifles, mortally and gruesomely wounding two tiny lion cubs. There’s a section in the beginning where either Roosevelt or the author - and there is exactly zero criticism of Roosevelt’s behavior ever, so the line between the two is blurred - states that “everything and everyone is either a predator or the prey”. Well no kidding - look at the way Roosevelt literally stalks his first wife, only to “capture” her in marriage and then abandon her, completely, during a difficult pregnancy that kills her. He worshipped her because she was obviously his greatest hunt - he never once EVER speaks about her as though she was a person, let alone a person with needs. The only thing he cares about is exerting power over other, weaker creatures. This isn’t just 20/20 hindsight; he received all kinds of criticism in his lifetime for it, and a responsible author would spend time with that and explore it. But oh, right, the author is a specimen hunter himself, and so much depends on the constant glorification of his industry’s best PR. Near the end of the book, the author shares a long quote from the Reverend Long, whom the author has rolled his eyes at the entire time. The reverend’s screed against the inhumanity of this short-sighted catastrophe is...exactly right. His worst fears did come true. At no point does the author give any credence to these completely correct prophecies. Within a sentence, we return, with great gusto, to the massacre of an entire herd of hippos.
August 26, 2022
Probably our most interesting president to date
May 21, 2019
Theodore Roosevelt was a beast of a human being. He loved nature and was a fearless explorer, scientist, taxidermist, hunter, and conservationist. Oh yeah, he was also President. But the presidency seemed like a distraction to this man. In fact, he wrote a book while in office about different types of deer and wildlife and spent the final few months of the presidency planning his trip to Africa to hunt and explore. Of course, his African safari is better known as the first glamping excursion on record, but who am I to judge a guy who stared down lions and staved off a stampede of elephants.
I also thought his father’s belief in “Muscular Christianity,” a view of Jesus as he ultimate man’s man, was intriguing (though a wee bit misguided), and certainly it had great effect on Teddy. In the end, I’m not sure whether or not he was interested in the Christianity part of Muscular Christianity, but he was indeed muscular. I also loved how Teddy and other naturalists were active in setting up game reserves and national parks. They used their influence to give a great gift to future generations. One more interesting aspect of early 20th century naturalists like Roosevelt was how they were also avid hunters. They seemed to view hunting as a responsibility so that they could showcase various species in museums. With very few white rhinos left in the world, Roosevelt and his son shot 9 of them to supply museums. Seems a bit backwards if you ask me. Oh yeah, one more thing: Roosevelt was almost blind in one eye (hence the famed monocle), so his hunting tactic was more of the “Fire, Aim, Ready” variety.
I enjoyed the audiobook, but just about anything coming through the headphones makes scraping linoleum glue off he floor seem more enjoyable so I’ll give this possible four star book a three star review due to the linoleum glue scraping penalty.
I also thought his father’s belief in “Muscular Christianity,” a view of Jesus as he ultimate man’s man, was intriguing (though a wee bit misguided), and certainly it had great effect on Teddy. In the end, I’m not sure whether or not he was interested in the Christianity part of Muscular Christianity, but he was indeed muscular. I also loved how Teddy and other naturalists were active in setting up game reserves and national parks. They used their influence to give a great gift to future generations. One more interesting aspect of early 20th century naturalists like Roosevelt was how they were also avid hunters. They seemed to view hunting as a responsibility so that they could showcase various species in museums. With very few white rhinos left in the world, Roosevelt and his son shot 9 of them to supply museums. Seems a bit backwards if you ask me. Oh yeah, one more thing: Roosevelt was almost blind in one eye (hence the famed monocle), so his hunting tactic was more of the “Fire, Aim, Ready” variety.
I enjoyed the audiobook, but just about anything coming through the headphones makes scraping linoleum glue off he floor seem more enjoyable so I’ll give this possible four star book a three star review due to the linoleum glue scraping penalty.
June 10, 2017
https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/161653...
Perceived as a swash-buckling president, a rough rider, hunter, and preservationist dressed in a buckskin suit, Teddy Roosevelt has, in my lifetime, maintained his larger-than-life persona and for good reason. This book is the first study I have been subjected to regarding the man, and I could not have been more surprised over how much I did like him early on in my reading as I learned of his exploits, trials, and personal loss. Roosevelt like many others did not escape a lifetime of personal tragedy. He endured more than his share. And his evolvement as hunter to protector is of course as unsettling as it is amazing. Roosevelt lived in a vastly different time than we can comprehend fairly today. Financial and societal privilege afforded him many opportunities that most of us have only read about. But unlike others born into this privilege Roosevelt used his to further an agenda for good and to mark his time in history as significant and admirable. Theodore Roosevelt overcame poor health, a weak body, a childhood of city privilege and elitist pressures, to become a naturalist of the first rank. Focussing on the naturalist and human side of his subject Darrin Lunde provides his reader with a most-rewarding portrait of one of our country’s larger-than-life individuals who ever walked the earth.
After his evolvement as a naturalist and his two terms as president of the United States, Roosevelt seemed to change. And the last quarter of the book disturbs me to no small degree. What had previously come in the opening three quarters was a fascinating study of a man engaged with principal and courage. But beginning with the eagerly anticipated and extravagant African safari at the end of his presidency this endearing portrait of Roosevelt became a bit disgusting as he seemed to posture and demonstrate a pretentiousness absent in his early years. Cloaked behind a Smithsonian facade of scientific collection marched a loud and obnoxious cavalcade of pomp and bulge. For example, his sanctioned and personal killing of so many lions appeared to be wasteful, cruel, and extreme. Each subsequent page to follow felt uncomfortable. My disgusting reading about this particular safari was growing by the page and it became more difficult to remain enamored with the man who did so much to protect our lands. Though he did preserve a mass of wilderness for us, he failed in many respects to save the creatures inhabiting these spaces. Roosevelt was a hunter first who protected his sport through conservation. But, in fact, he was a killer of trophy wild animals who, with bad eyesight and poor skills, maimed and made suffer the most beautiful ones roaming the wild among us.
…Scouting around the first day, they saw seventy or eighty buffalo grazing in the open about a hundred yards from the edge of the swamp. It was too dark to shoot, but, heading out again early the next morning, Roosevelt and his party let fly a hail of ammunition to bring down three of the massive bulls.…It was a real chore for him to write in the field, and he joked that it was his way of paying for his fun.
What confounds me is the thinking that must go on in the head of any blood sport hunter. These men must have ignored the fact they were killing a creature that belonged on the planet just as much, or more, than they did. A wild creature of feeling, free to roam the plains being massacred by a privileged as well as massive and pretentious army hiding behind a cover of science, their rabid blood lust and joy celebrated on these killing fields. Conservation’s legacy handed down by Mr. Roosevelt is sadly tarnished by this horrid and destructive behavior not only by him but also by the hand of his son, Kermit.
…his Scribner’s accounts almost gave the impression that he was trying to provoke a reaction from the anti-hunting factions, as he documented his kills—botched shots and all—in unashamed detail…”I felt proud indeed as I stood by the immense bulk of the slain monster and put my hand on the ivory,” said Roosevelt, and then everyone began the work of skinning …
During this African safari Roosevelt and his companions killed or trapped approximately 11,400 animals, from insects and moles to hippopotamuses and elephants. In this biography Darrin Lunde has provided facts and story enough to honor Theodore Roosevelt as one of the most important naturalists who ever lived. And due to countless excesses he did help our evolving natural history museums to thrive. But at the cost of so many innocent and free lives, it saddens me.
Perceived as a swash-buckling president, a rough rider, hunter, and preservationist dressed in a buckskin suit, Teddy Roosevelt has, in my lifetime, maintained his larger-than-life persona and for good reason. This book is the first study I have been subjected to regarding the man, and I could not have been more surprised over how much I did like him early on in my reading as I learned of his exploits, trials, and personal loss. Roosevelt like many others did not escape a lifetime of personal tragedy. He endured more than his share. And his evolvement as hunter to protector is of course as unsettling as it is amazing. Roosevelt lived in a vastly different time than we can comprehend fairly today. Financial and societal privilege afforded him many opportunities that most of us have only read about. But unlike others born into this privilege Roosevelt used his to further an agenda for good and to mark his time in history as significant and admirable. Theodore Roosevelt overcame poor health, a weak body, a childhood of city privilege and elitist pressures, to become a naturalist of the first rank. Focussing on the naturalist and human side of his subject Darrin Lunde provides his reader with a most-rewarding portrait of one of our country’s larger-than-life individuals who ever walked the earth.
After his evolvement as a naturalist and his two terms as president of the United States, Roosevelt seemed to change. And the last quarter of the book disturbs me to no small degree. What had previously come in the opening three quarters was a fascinating study of a man engaged with principal and courage. But beginning with the eagerly anticipated and extravagant African safari at the end of his presidency this endearing portrait of Roosevelt became a bit disgusting as he seemed to posture and demonstrate a pretentiousness absent in his early years. Cloaked behind a Smithsonian facade of scientific collection marched a loud and obnoxious cavalcade of pomp and bulge. For example, his sanctioned and personal killing of so many lions appeared to be wasteful, cruel, and extreme. Each subsequent page to follow felt uncomfortable. My disgusting reading about this particular safari was growing by the page and it became more difficult to remain enamored with the man who did so much to protect our lands. Though he did preserve a mass of wilderness for us, he failed in many respects to save the creatures inhabiting these spaces. Roosevelt was a hunter first who protected his sport through conservation. But, in fact, he was a killer of trophy wild animals who, with bad eyesight and poor skills, maimed and made suffer the most beautiful ones roaming the wild among us.
…Scouting around the first day, they saw seventy or eighty buffalo grazing in the open about a hundred yards from the edge of the swamp. It was too dark to shoot, but, heading out again early the next morning, Roosevelt and his party let fly a hail of ammunition to bring down three of the massive bulls.…It was a real chore for him to write in the field, and he joked that it was his way of paying for his fun.
What confounds me is the thinking that must go on in the head of any blood sport hunter. These men must have ignored the fact they were killing a creature that belonged on the planet just as much, or more, than they did. A wild creature of feeling, free to roam the plains being massacred by a privileged as well as massive and pretentious army hiding behind a cover of science, their rabid blood lust and joy celebrated on these killing fields. Conservation’s legacy handed down by Mr. Roosevelt is sadly tarnished by this horrid and destructive behavior not only by him but also by the hand of his son, Kermit.
…his Scribner’s accounts almost gave the impression that he was trying to provoke a reaction from the anti-hunting factions, as he documented his kills—botched shots and all—in unashamed detail…”I felt proud indeed as I stood by the immense bulk of the slain monster and put my hand on the ivory,” said Roosevelt, and then everyone began the work of skinning …
During this African safari Roosevelt and his companions killed or trapped approximately 11,400 animals, from insects and moles to hippopotamuses and elephants. In this biography Darrin Lunde has provided facts and story enough to honor Theodore Roosevelt as one of the most important naturalists who ever lived. And due to countless excesses he did help our evolving natural history museums to thrive. But at the cost of so many innocent and free lives, it saddens me.
February 26, 2016
It was really interesting to learn about Theodore Roosevelt's passion for naturalism. He certainly had some great adventures! I think that the author did a good job of providing a balanced view of the scientific and hunting aspects of naturalism. However, I think that this book is almost too focused at times. For instance, I found it rather strange that the book ends without mentioning Roosevelt's death at all. It also made no mention whatsoever of his South American expedition in 1913.
I received this book as a Goodreads First-Read. Yay!
I received this book as a Goodreads First-Read. Yay!
May 15, 2024
Only other book with as good of a story recounting a young lad’s encounter with a baby harbor seal is Norm MacDonald’s “Based on a True Story”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2023
Entertaining read of Roosevelt's life, pursuit of natural science, and accomplishments in conservation. Would have really enjoyed an inclusion of his time hiking through Yosemite with John Muir.
September 3, 2019
I genuinely enjoyed this book and learned a great deal about Theodore Roosevelt’s brand of naturalism. Lunde excellently recorded Roosevelt’s quirks and values in ways that could be easily misunderstood from afar; With that said, I believe this book is paramount to understanding and appreciating Theodore Roosevelt completely.
My biggest critique is the lack of coverage on Roosevelt’s work as a conservationist and politician. However, Lunde’s background as a museum man is evident, as is his intention of sharing primarily that which pertains to museum naturalism. Even if “The Naturalist” merely supplements other works which more fully explore Roosevelt’s political legacy, it is still a good read.
My biggest critique is the lack of coverage on Roosevelt’s work as a conservationist and politician. However, Lunde’s background as a museum man is evident, as is his intention of sharing primarily that which pertains to museum naturalism. Even if “The Naturalist” merely supplements other works which more fully explore Roosevelt’s political legacy, it is still a good read.
September 3, 2021
I listened to the audio version of this book and it was decent. It took me months to get through because I was simply not engaged. I almost gave it 2 stars but the author did give some interesting insights into the world of naturalists in the late 19th century and the role of the "hunter naturalist." Though, I think this story could have been condensed into a magazine article and I would have liked it better.
January 12, 2019
I have read much about Theodore Roosevelt's social and political life. This unique volume provided me with an alternate perspective of his life, examining TR as a naturalist. While I knew of Roosevelt's work preserving parks, his hunting expeditions, and his childhood love of animal collecting, I did not know the extent of his contribution to the natural sciences. Namely, his help developing the American Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian Museum were new to me. I think this sentence on page 252 sums up the focus of the book, "As a naturalist, Theodore Roosevelt is most often remembered for protecting millions of acres of wilderness, but he was equally committed to preserving something else--the memory of the natural world as it was before the onslaught of civilization." To history lovers and nature lovers alike, this book is well worth your time. Times have changed and Roosevelt's brand of naturalism is (and was) surely controversial, but this book makes you think about what encounters with the natural world really mean to mankind.
November 28, 2017
I wish the author would just be okay with the fact that Teddy Roosevelt did not begin his political, military, or scientific career as an actual naturalist, but it was something that he grew in to as he aged and as the wild places of the American West were trampled. Trying to justify his excessive sport-hunting as scientific is ridiculous, he killed FAR more animals that he would ever need for study, and he did it for fun. Also, Roosevelt's personal brand of machismo and it's direct tie to Christianity is insufferable and certainly lent itself to his career as a hunter and a soldier, also his Daddy issues. Lunde seems to have a huge historic crush on Roosevelt and his book comes across as written through rose-colored glasses/ignoring some pretty basic personality flaws in Roosevelt, the book would have been much better had they been acknowledged more openly and more consistently.
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July 10, 2024Naturalist- one that advocates or practices naturalism. A student of natural history.
The birds discussed in some of the places/parks like in Oyster Bay are not there today. Roosevelt knew they would be dying out, at least he brought some back to the American Museum to kind of live on. Unfortunately, they’ve moved Roosevelt’s famous statue from the museum today or maybe they’re doing construction.
I enjoyed tales of Audobon the ornithologist, Dr. Livingston’s missionary research in Africa, and Roosevelt’s works on Adirondack mammals. I’ll have to do my own field work on the mammals of the Adirondacks because particular animals just aren’t there anymore. I liked the comparisons between the mammals like the Louisiana bear and the Everglades black bear or the Barren Ground Grizzly. I also enjoyed the controversial story of the white rhino.
The birds discussed in some of the places/parks like in Oyster Bay are not there today. Roosevelt knew they would be dying out, at least he brought some back to the American Museum to kind of live on. Unfortunately, they’ve moved Roosevelt’s famous statue from the museum today or maybe they’re doing construction.
I enjoyed tales of Audobon the ornithologist, Dr. Livingston’s missionary research in Africa, and Roosevelt’s works on Adirondack mammals. I’ll have to do my own field work on the mammals of the Adirondacks because particular animals just aren’t there anymore. I liked the comparisons between the mammals like the Louisiana bear and the Everglades black bear or the Barren Ground Grizzly. I also enjoyed the controversial story of the white rhino.
June 29, 2017
An insight into one of the most adventurous Presidents in American history. His love of nature and adventures did not stop him from being an avid hunter too.
I won an uncorrected proof advanced reading copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. I am paying it forward by passing this book along to a friend or family member who I think will enjoy it too.
I won an uncorrected proof advanced reading copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. I am paying it forward by passing this book along to a friend or family member who I think will enjoy it too.
February 25, 2021
Most biographies I’ve read about Theodore Roosevelt mention his hobby as a naturalist and taxidermist when he was young, but they tend to leave that behind as his career turned to public service. However, this book focuses completely on the naturalist side of TR and shows how it played a major role throughout his entire life.
Written by a museum naturalist, this book was surprisingly captivating. I say that as someone who always hated science classes and has mixed feelings on hunting. Though TR is my favorite historical figure, I’ve always struggled with his support of big game hunting. But the author of this book, using his own experience collecting museum specimens, explains TR’s seemingly conflicting views of hunting and conservation. According to him, there are two main groups of hunters – meat hunters and sport hunters. While I can tolerate meat hunters in today’s society, I’d considered TR a sport hunter which I completely disagree with. However this author asserts TR was in a third group – nature hunters, or those who seek knowledge first about nature, who understand nature and wildlife and have an active role in the natural world. These are naturalist-hunters, and they aim to advance scientific thought on wildlife.
I didn’t realize that in TR’s days, hunting was immensely popular and widely used by museums to obtain specimens for research and display. In fact, the purpose of TR’s famous post-presidency African hunt was to provide the Smithsonian its own African specimen collection. It was through hunting that TR realized how quickly many species were being wiped out, and so in his public service roles, began advocating for conservation and the setting aside of protected lands for wildlife.
If you’re a fan of TR or natural history museums in general, this is a must-read. It can be a little gruesome when the author explains taxidermy methods, but mostly it was quite informative and helped me see TR in a different light.
Written by a museum naturalist, this book was surprisingly captivating. I say that as someone who always hated science classes and has mixed feelings on hunting. Though TR is my favorite historical figure, I’ve always struggled with his support of big game hunting. But the author of this book, using his own experience collecting museum specimens, explains TR’s seemingly conflicting views of hunting and conservation. According to him, there are two main groups of hunters – meat hunters and sport hunters. While I can tolerate meat hunters in today’s society, I’d considered TR a sport hunter which I completely disagree with. However this author asserts TR was in a third group – nature hunters, or those who seek knowledge first about nature, who understand nature and wildlife and have an active role in the natural world. These are naturalist-hunters, and they aim to advance scientific thought on wildlife.
I didn’t realize that in TR’s days, hunting was immensely popular and widely used by museums to obtain specimens for research and display. In fact, the purpose of TR’s famous post-presidency African hunt was to provide the Smithsonian its own African specimen collection. It was through hunting that TR realized how quickly many species were being wiped out, and so in his public service roles, began advocating for conservation and the setting aside of protected lands for wildlife.
If you’re a fan of TR or natural history museums in general, this is a must-read. It can be a little gruesome when the author explains taxidermy methods, but mostly it was quite informative and helped me see TR in a different light.
September 1, 2018
One of the aspects of TR's life I've always enjoyed is his activism in the fields of natural history, conservation and hunting. This book focuses on his life a a "naturalist" from his childhood to his great African safari of the early 20th Century. He would be the first to describe himself as a "hunter-naturalist" and started out collecting specimens for his boyhood museum, "The Roosevelt Museum of Natural History." Later as an adult, the specimens would be taken for the benefit of the American Museum of Natural History (his father was a founder and important influence in encouraging TR to embrace the outdoors)) and the Smithsonian Institution.
Always subjected to criticism for what to many seemed "senseless slaughter", Roosevelt came to represent the necessity in understanding species, their habits and habitat as means to protect them for future generations. This becomes evident in his creation of the Boone & Crockett Club as well as his efforts as President in creating numerous national parks and wildlife refuges across the United States.
Interesting to note that TR wasn't a crack shot even as a young man. Later in life he lost the sight in one eye which I'm sure didn't help when he was afield.
Always subjected to criticism for what to many seemed "senseless slaughter", Roosevelt came to represent the necessity in understanding species, their habits and habitat as means to protect them for future generations. This becomes evident in his creation of the Boone & Crockett Club as well as his efforts as President in creating numerous national parks and wildlife refuges across the United States.
Interesting to note that TR wasn't a crack shot even as a young man. Later in life he lost the sight in one eye which I'm sure didn't help when he was afield.
June 22, 2022
In total, Theodore Roosevelt shot 296 big game animals in Africa and his son killed 216. That’s a lot of animals. Did they truly study these animals behavior in their natural habitat? I doubt it when you’re bagging 3-4 lions a day. Was he a hunter or a naturalist? I’ll let you decide.
June 6, 2019
There are some interesting pieces of stories nestled deep down in between descriptions of the skinning of hundreds of animals, hunting tales, and facts about taxidermy. If you are not interested in those things however I cannot recommend this book.
August 30, 2023
best president ever. wasn’t soft like the ones will have today. imagine any one in politics doing ANYTHING remotely close to this. definition of a man. we need to dig him back up to fix things
April 23, 2024
I've read plenty on Roosevelt, so doing so from the view of someone looking solely at his approach to, and his appreciation for, science was endlessly interesting.
February 26, 2025
Finished on a brisk morning walk as the sun was coming up over the Wasatch.
We’ve heard stories about Teddy and this book leaves no doubt he was a naturalist. Good book.
We’ve heard stories about Teddy and this book leaves no doubt he was a naturalist. Good book.
November 27, 2018
This book is about many different subjects: natural history museums, collecting specimens in the field, the definition of a naturalist, the birth of the conservation movement, establishment of wildlife refuges, legislating protections for the most vulnerable species and the ethics of hunting. The author handles all of the subjects very well as they swirl around a single lone figure, Theodore Roosevelt.
I have read several books on Roosevelt’s life and have enjoyed reading every one of them. All have mentioned in attachment to nature but none has delved into that connection as this current work did.
For Roosevelt, it started very early. His interest in animals stemmed from a trip to the city open-air market where someone had brought in a dead seal for display. Roosevelt was captivated and credits it with changing his life.
Sliding his hand along the seal’s glossy-smooth pelt and peering deeply into the clouding eyes, he was overwhelmed with interest. Its eyes were so big, and they fringed with delicate eyelashes just like his own. Curious onlookers stood back, only a rave few leaning in for a closer look, but the little boy remained transfixed. It was probably a harbor seal, still fairly common in New York Harbor. So transfixed was the boy by this exotic creature that he raced home for a notebook and ruler, returning moments later to measure the carcass and jot down a few notes on its color and appearance. The eight-year-old boy then wrote a detailed natural history of seals based entirely on the one dead animal.
“Theodore Roosevelt’s life changed forever in that encounter, for it marked, as he later noted, ‘the first day’ of his career as a naturalist. Recalling the event in his autobiography decades later, Roosevelt wrote that the seal filled him with ‘every possible feeling of romance and adventure.’ It was so unlike anything he had ever seen before. Touching that seal, he would have felt the stiffness of its long, graceful whiskers, and, gently lifting up its lips, he would have seen the gleaming white teeth. The ears were just tiny holes, barely noticeable in its dens fur. Squeezing the front flippers, he would have felt that they were just like greatly enlarged hands, the individual finger bones completely encased in the flesh of the flipper with tiny claws extending from the tip. Feeling the seal’s body with his own hands, he could appreciate all the similarities to his own basic anatomy, but he wanted to get closer—to take the animal home, perhaps to dissect or stuff it. He had read about how naturalists kept animal specimens to study them, and now he had a chance to practice naturalism himself.” (9-10)
The American Museum of Natural History was actually founded in the living room of his home when he was a boy. He immediately came up with the idea of establishing the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History enlisting his siblings and two cousins on the board of directors which, of course, he was the chairman.
“All that is known of Theodore’s earliest days as a nascent museum curator comes from a brief history recorded on just a few pages of handwritten notes. Roosevelt’s ‘Record of the Roosevelt Museum’ begins very officially; ‘At the commencement of the year 1867 Mr. T. Roosevelt started the Museum with twelve specimen….’ Housed in Theodore’s bedroom, the ‘museum’ soon grew to include hundreds of prizes; mice, shrews, and birds. The only organizing principle for the museum’s collection was to accumulate as many specimens as possible. The Roosevelt children worked furiously to add to the pile, though it wasn’t just the younger family members who were expected to contribute to the eager curator’s trove.
“Writing to his parents while they were visiting Georgia in the spring of 1868, a nine-year-old Teddy stressed that he expected them to collect a few specimens from their exotic southern locality; ‘In your letter you write to me to tell me how many curiosities and living things you have got for me,’ he prodded his mother. Writing his father, he was even more direct, goading him to cut off the tail of a ‘tiger-cat’ belonging to a friend, adding that it would be on prominent display at his museum. Even the family nurse was enlisted, as one breathless letter to her reveals: ‘I have one request to make of you. Press plenty of plants and leaves and get a good many seeds for me, and some beetles and butterflies, get feathers and wood too. Get as many live things as you can.’” (16)
As he grew older into his adolescent his desired to be a naturalist only increased. He learned taxidermy from one of the leading taxidermist in the United States, John Bell.
He became quite adept at the task and began filling the Roosevelt Museum with stuffed birds, small animals and such that he himself had prepared.
On a trip to Egypt with the family, he spent the entire trip shooting and preparing specimens.
“Dead quail in hand, it was business as usual for Theodore back at the hotel. He had become so fixated on collecting birds that his sister Corinne complained that whenever he entered the room, she unfailing heard the words ‘bird’ and ‘skin.’ Even his younger brother, Elliott, who was normally mild mannered and accommodating, revolted at sharing a room with someone who frequently filled the washbasin with the guts of the animals he was dissecting.” (55)
“Theodore never shot more than one or two birds a day. Sitting under the cloth canopy on the deck of the ‘Aboo Erdan,’ he skinned and stuffed while the curious boatmen stared over his shoulder. It’s time-consuming to make a bird study skin, and Roosevelt made sure he never collected more birds than he could prepare in a single day. As soon as he shot a specimen, he had to carefully clean any blood off the feathers and quickly stuff a wad of cotton down the bird’s throat to prevent any more body fluids from leaking out and spoiling the plumage. Theodore had only a few minutes to record the color of the eyes before they faded forever. Next he took a series of standard measurement, described the habitat where he shot each bird, and then tagged each with his ROOSEVELT MUSEUM labels so he could cross-reference it to his field notes. As he knew from his readings and his own practical experience, decomposition sets in quickly in tropical climates, and he worked especially fast to preserve all his birds before they spoiled.” (57)
The author goes into great detail about natural-history museums and the purpose behind all the collecting of specimens and the important work of the collectors. For Roosevelt it was both sport and science but it was the science that really mattered. He learned all the scientific names of the fauna he collected and kept meticulous records of where he found the specimen, its habitat, observations he made, etc.
He attended Harvard graduating magna cum laude but hating the four years he spent there, disgusted with the emphasis on laboratory work over field work (field work was actually held in great disdain). Realizing he could never make a living for a family as a naturalist he gave up his dream of becoming one, closed his museum and donating the hundreds and hundreds of specimens he had collected over the years to various natural history museums.
Eventually stepping into the public arena of politics he begins his career from the state assembly to New York City Police Commission, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and after his success during the short Spanish-American War, Governor of New York.
In politics he never satisfied the reformers in his party and the staunch and staid members of his party found him a loose cannon so they decided to get rid of him by making him McKinley’s vice-president which would bring an end to his political career. Fate, of course, would intervene and foil their plan.
The whole time Roosevelt was moving through the political morass, he never stopped being interested in naturalism. He wrote several books that any naturalist would admire and began to collect the friendships of several renowned naturalists in various fields.
Then as president, brought the power he possessed to give help and aid to scientific discovery.
Roosevelt surrounded himself with naturalists, kept up on the details of their research, and worked hard to cultivate their friendship. What he enjoyed most about his job as president was the chance to help along the work of other scientists, and throughout the years in office he nurtured his personal friendship with every leading naturalist of his time—George Bird Grinnell, writer John Burroughs, zoologist William T. Hornday, ornithologist Frank Chapman, British explorer Frederick Courtney Selous, taxidermist Carl Akeley, field naturalist Edgar A Mearns, and, of course, Clinton Hart Merriam. As an honorary member of their ranks, he felt comfortable with them in a way few other politicians would. He entertained more naturalists in the White House than did any other president, and they were amazed by his erudition. ‘Very few people are aware of Roosevelt’s knowledge of mammals and their skulls,” explained Merriam, who kept about five thousand mammal skulls in his home for ready reference and was perhaps the best person to judge whether or not someone was an expert in such subjects. ‘One evening at my house he astonished everyone—including several eminent naturalists—by picking up skull after skull and mentioning the scientific names of the genus to which each belonged. Although occupying the highest office, Roosevelt still felt the pull of the comparatively less glamorous fields of science and natural history—from the country’s highest office, a part of him longed to be a naturalist.
“Roosevelt was vocal about the need for scientists and naturalists to write with scientific accuracy and readability. ‘There is no use in having a book scientific in its accuracy if no one will read it, and it is worse than no use to have a book that is readable and at the same time false. He was generous with other naturalists, quick to praise any work that met his high standards….but more than merely offering praise of a completed work, Roosevelt was equally renowned for goading naturalists to write, as he believed this was the best way to advance this particular scientific discourse.” (163-164)
“Selous published “African Nature Note and Reminiscences” five years later, with a dedication to Theodore Roosevelt, ‘not only because it is entirely owing to his inspiration and kindly encouragement that it was ever written but also because both in private and public life he always won the sincere admiration and esteem of the author.” (164)
He also acted in the area of conservation, first by getting legislation passed (Lacey Act) that protected the wildlife in Yellowstone National Park which before its passage was being decimated by poachers and ‘market hunters.’ The act ended up protecting all wildlife in all the national parks and wildlife refuges.
The final chapter of the book covers the trip he took to Africa with his son, Kermit after he had finished the presidency. Initially it was a trip to shoot big-game animals as well as study them and the other wildlife but soon the plan took on another entire nature of its own.
Roosevelt came up with a far more ambitious plan, and one that took into consideration his earliest boyhood passions as a museum collector—to turn his hunting trip into a full-scale natural-history expedition. He wished to have along a team of naturalists to study the non-game fauna while he and Kermit collected big mammals for museum exhibits.” (187)
Roosevelt wrote to Charles Doolittle Walcott, the administrator of the Smithsonian Institute:
“As you know, I am not in the least a game butcher. I like to do a certain amount of hunting, but my real and main interest is the interest of faunal naturalist. Now, it seems to me that this opens up the best chance for the National Museum to get a fine collection, not only of the big game beasts, but of the smaller animals and birds of Africa; and looking at it dispassionately, it seems to me that the chance ought not to be neglected. I will make arrangements in connection with publishing a book which will enable me to pay for the expenses of myself and my son. But what I would like to do would be to get one or two professional field taxidermists, field naturalists, to go with us, who should prepare and send back the specimens we collect. The collection which would thus go to the National Museum would be of unique value.” (188)
“Eager not to fall behind, Walcott took up Roosevelt’s offer and agreed to pay for the preparation and transport of specimens.” (189)
“Under the aegis of the Smithsonian Institute, Roosevelt’s proposed safari had been transformed from a hunting trip to a serious natural-history expedition promising lasting scientific significance.” (189)
“Roosevelt took the preservation of each animal seriously. He insisted on saving the skull and, in many cases, the whole skeleton, of virtually every animal he shot. More than mere trophies, he knew that these were ‘absolutely necessary for the determination of the species’ and they would make valuable addition to the Smithsonian’s collection. All these bones had to be ‘roughed out’ in the field, meaning Heller and his team had to cut off as much of the muscle as possible before drying the skeleton for transportation. Later, back at the museum, technicians would clean off the last bits of dried flesh still adhering to bone. Since saving all the skins required that the porters carry tons of fine-grained salt for preservation, Roosevelt admitted that this was an expensive process. The salt’s sheer weight added considerably to the cost of transport, but it was absolutely essential to the expedition’s effort to build the Smithsonian African collection.
“The salt method used was essentially one that had been perfected by Carl Akeley, the salt working by drawing moisture out of the hides and halting the decay that caused the hairs to slip out. Immediately after skinning, the hide needed to be scraped clean of any adhering tissue and fat to expose the under layer of skin where the roots of the hairs were embedded. This layer needed to be thoroughly rubbed with salt, and, stretching portions of the hide taut over a makeshift wooden table, Heller and his men spent hours scraping down each one. A layer of fine salt was poured on and rubbed into every square inch of the hide. This had to be done by hand, the salt also stinging every nick and cut on the work-roughened hands of the men. The skins were then rolled and packed into tightly sealed tins or barrels for transport to Nairobi, where they were stored in a warehouse before being shipped to the Smithsonian. The salt was only a temporary preservative, however, and once in the United States, these skins had to be tanned and turned into leather before they could be installed in the museum’s collections or mounted for taxidermy displays. It was heavy, mess, tedious work, and Heller grew so tired of skinning and scraping rhinoceros that he jokingly complained of suffering from an acute case of ‘rhinoceritis.’” (215-216)
Of course, the killing of elephants, lions, rhinos, giraffes, hippos, etc. brought a great deal of criticism to Roosevelt’s doorstep. He did not hesitate to give answer:
Civilized man now usually passes his life under conditions which eliminate the intensity of terror felt by his ancestors when death by violence was their normal end….It is only in nightmares that the average dweller in civilized countries now undergoes the hideous horror which was the regular and frequent portion of his ages vanished forefathers, and which is still an every-day incident in the lives of the most wild creatures….In these wilds the game dreaded the lion and the other flesh-eating beasts rather than man….The game is ever on alert against the greatest of foes, and every herd, almost every individual, is an imminent and deadly peril every few days or nights….But no sooner is the danger over than the animals resume their feeding, or love making, or their fighting among themselves….Death by violence, death by cold, death by starvation—these are the normal endings of the stately and beautiful creatures of the wilderness.” (226)
“Ever since writing ‘Hunting Trips of a Ranchman.’ Roosevelt had been perfecting his narrative style, incorporating nuggets of natural history into his descriptions of stalking game. For all his graphic descriptions of misplaced shots and animals running off wounded, Roosevelt recorded equally lengthy passages on the normal daily lives of these same animals. He made careful notes on the sizes of herds, their apparent breeding seasons, and even their gaits.” (236)
“Roosevelt’s hunting was the driving force behind the expedition.” (237)
“For Roosevelt, it was not so much the individual lives of animals that mattered as the survival of the species. At the very least he wanted people to have the chance to see good specimens preserved forever in a museum. That was his brand of naturalism.” (243)
So, an entire wing of the Smithsonian Institute found itself filled with the specimens collected for it by a president of the United States.
“Together, ‘African Game Trails’ and ‘Life Histories of African Game Animals” embody the two pillars upholding Roosevelt the naturalist—someone who loved both the science and the adventure of being a good naturalist.” (251)
Roosevelt’s own words about the African hunt:
“In Africa, however, we really did some good work in natural history. Many of my observations were set forth in my book ‘African Game Trails;’ and I have always felt that the book which Edmund Heller and I jointly wrote, the ‘Life Histories of African Game Animals,’ was a serious and worthwhile contribution to science. Here again, this contribution, so far as I was concerned, consisted chiefly in seeing, and recording, and interpreting facts which were really obvious, but to which observers hitherto had been blind, or which they had misinterpreted partly because sportsmen seemed incapable of seeing anything except a trophy, partly because stay-at-home systematics never saw anything at all except skins and skulls which enabled them to give Latin names to new ‘species’ or ‘subspecies/’ partly because collectors had collected birds in precisely the spirit in which other collectors assembled postage stamps.” (253-254
This is a fine piece of history about a remarkable man and the mark he left on a nation.
January 4, 2026
Bird nerd 🚨
February 28, 2017
Wonderful read!
Full review here.
Full review here.
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