The Wilderness Warrior : Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America

One of the Best Books of the Year > __The New York Times__, __The Boston Globe__, __The Kansas City Star__, __The Chicago Tribune__, and __The St. Louis Post-Dispatch__ > > In this monumental biography, acclaimed historian Douglas Brinkley examines the life and achievements of Theodore Roosevelt, our "naturalist president," and his tireless crusade for the American wildernessa legacy now more important than ever. ## Amazon.com Review **Amazon Best of the Month, August 2009:** "The movement for the conversation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method." So wrote Theodore Roosevelt, known as the "naturalist President" for his efforts in protecting wildlife and wilderness, merging preservation and patriotism into a quintessential American ideal. The Wilderness Warrior, Douglas Brinkley's massive(ly readable) new biography, intrepidly explores the wilderness of influences (Audubon and Darwin), personal relationships (Muir and Pinchot), and frontier adventures (too many to mention) that shaped Roosevelt's proto-green views. Topping 800 pages (ironically, one wonders how many trees fell for the first printing), The Wilderness Warrior makes an excellent companion to Timothy Egan's __The Big Burn__ and Ken Burns's __The National Parks: America's Best Idea__. __--Jon Foro__ ## From The New Yorker Theodore Roosevelt spent the day of July 1, 1908, the tenth anniversary of the Battle of San Juan Hill, creating forty-five national forests. In this biographical study of T.R.s campaign to save hundreds of millions of acres of wilderness, Brinkley writes that the forestry movement would be forced down his opponents throats. Roosevelts intense love for nature was, Brinkley makes clear, a conquerors lovetriumphal Darwinismand included a blood lust in hunting the wildlife he championed. The baby bear that, in popular myth, T.R. refused to shoot was actually an adult bear that he directed to be dispatched with a knife. Brinkley fully inhabits Roosevelts mind, a condition that has its disadvantagesthe book, with blow-by-blow accounts of college hiking trips and squabbles between naturalists, does not entirely earn its nine hundred pages, making it harder to see the forests (and the story of how T.R. rescued them) for the trees. "In this groundbreaking epic biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our "naturalist president." By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt's most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest. Tracing the role that nature played in Roosevelt's storied career, Brinkley brilliantly analyzes the influence that the works of John James Audubon and Charles Darwin had on the young man who would become our twenty-sixth president. With descriptive flair, the author illuminates Roosevelt's bird watching in the Adirondacks, wildlife obsession in Yellowstone, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranching in the Dakota Territory, hunting in the Big Horn Mountains, and outdoor romps through Idaho and Wyoming. He also profiles Roosevelt's incredible circle of naturalist friends, including the Catskills poet John Burroughs, Boone and Crockett Club cofounder George Bird Grinnell, forestry zealot Gifford Pinchot, buffalo breeder William Hornaday, Sierra Club founder John Muir, U.S. Biological Survey wizard C. Hart Merriam, Oregon Audubon Society founder William L. Finley, and pelican protector Paul Kroegel, among many others. He brings to life hilarious anecdotes of wild-pig hunting in Texas and badger saving in Kansas, wolf catching in Oklahoma and grouse flushing in Iowa. Even the story of the teddy bear gets its definitive treatment. Destined to become a classic, this extraordinary and timeless biography offers a penetrating and colorful look at Roosevelt's naturalist achievements, a legacy now more important than ever. Raising a Paul Revere-like alarm about American wildlife in peril -- including buffalo, manatees, antelope, egrets, and elk -- Roosevelt saved entire species from probable extinction. As we face the problems of global warming, overpopulation, and sustainable land management, this imposing leader's stout resolution to protect our environment is an inspiration and a contemporary call to arms for us all."-Jacket flap In this groundbreaking epic biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our "naturalist president." By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt's most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest. Tracing the role that nature played in Roosevelt's storied career, Brinkley brilliantly analyzes the influence that the works of John James Audubon and Charles Darwin had on the young man who would become our twenty-sixth president. With descriptive flair, the author illuminates Roosevelt's bird watching in the Adirondacks, wildlife obsession in Yellowstone, hikes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranching in the Dakota Territory, hunting in the Big Horn Mountains, and outdoor romps through Idaho and Wyoming. He also profiles Roosevelt's incredible circle of naturalist friends, including the Catskills poet John Burroughs, Boone and Crockett Club cofounder George Bird Grinnell, forestry zealot Gifford Pinchot, buffalo breeder William Hornaday, Sierra Club founder John Muir, U.S. Biological Survey wizard C. Hart Merriam, Oregon Audubon Society founder William L. Finley, and pelican protector Paul Kroegel, among many others. He brings to life hilarious anecdotes of wild-pig hunting in Texas and badger saving in Kansas, wolf catching in Oklahoma and grouse flushing in Iowa. Even the story of the teddy bear gets its definitive treatment. Destined to become a classic, this extraordinary and timeless biography offers a penetrating and colorful look at Roosevelt's naturalist achievements, a legacy now more important than ever. Raising a Paul Revere–like alarm about American wildlife in peril—including buffalo, manatees, antelope, egrets, and elk—Roosevelt saved entire species from probable extinction. As we face the problems of global warming, overpopulation, and sustainable land management, this imposing leader's stout resolution to protect our environment is an inspiration and a contemporary call to arms for us all. - Jacket flap. Evaluates Theodore Roosevelt's Role In Launching Modern Conservationsim, Identifying The Contributions Of Such Influences As James Audubon And John Muir While Describing How Roosevelt's Exposure To Natural Wonders In His Early Life Shaped His Environmental Values. The Education Of A Darwinian Naturalist -- Animal Rights And Evolution -- Of Science, Fish, And Robert B. Roosevelt -- Harvard And The North Woods Of Maine -- Midwest Tramping And The Conquering Of The Matterhorn -- Chasing Buffalo In The Badlands And Grizzlies In The Bighorns -- Cradle Of Conservation: The Elkhorn Ranch Of North Dakota -- Wildlife Protection Business: Boone And Crockett Club Meets The U.s. Biological Survey -- Laying The Groundwork With John Burroughs And Benjamin Harrison -- The Wilderness Hunter In The Electric Age -- The Bronx Zoo Founder -- The Rough Rider -- Higher Political Perches -- The Advocate Of The Strenuous Life -- The Conservationist President And The Bully Pulpit For Forestry -- The Great Mississippi Bear Hunt And Saving The Puerto Rican Parrot -- Crater Lake And Wind Cave National Parks -- Paul Kroegel And The Feather Wars Of Florida -- Passports To The Parks: Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, And Yosemite -- Beauty Unmarred: Winning The White House In 1904 -- The Oklahoma Hills (or, Where The Buffalo President Roams) -- The National Monuments Of 1906 -- The Prehistoric Sites Of 1907 -- Mighty Birds: Federal Reservations Of 1907-1908 -- The Preservationist Revolution Of 1908 -- Dangerous Antagonist: The Last Bold Steps Of 1909. Douglas Brinkley. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [831]-896) And Index. From New York Times bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley comes a sweeping historical narrative and eye-opening look at the pioneering environmental policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, avid bird-watcher, naturalist, and the founding father of America’s conservation movement. In this groundbreaking epic biography, Douglas Brinkley draws on never-before-published materials to examine the life and achievements of our “naturalist president.” By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt’s most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest. "Douglas Brinkley brings to this magnificent story of Theodore Roosevelt's crusade on behalf of America's national parks the same qualities that made TR so fascinating a figure--an astonishing range of knowledge, a superb narrative skill, a wonderfully vivid writing style and an inexhaustible energy."--Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals A vast, inspiring, and enormously entertaining book." -- New York Times Book Review From New York Times bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley comes a sweeping historical narrative and eye-opening look at the pioneering environmental policies of President Theodore Roosevelt, avid bird-watcher, naturalist, and the founding father of America's conservation movement--now approaching its 100th anniversary Evaluates Theodore Roosevelt's role in launching modern conservationism, identifying the contributions of such influences as James Audubon and John Muir while describing how Roosevelt's exposure to natural wonders in his early life shaped his environmental values