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Fødselsdato: 1950
Køn: male
Nationalitet: USA
Uddannelse: City College of New York (MA, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Systematics)
Cornell University (BS, Animal Sciences)
Erhverv: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
Organisationer: Smithsonian Institution
Kort biografi: [from The Institute of Natural History Arts website]
Darrin Lunde is a Mammalogist and field biologist with more than thirty years of experience as the Mammal Collection Manager for both the American Museum of Natural History (1991-2010) and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (2010-present). As part of his work, he has joined museum specimen collecting expeditions throughout South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia where he has logged several years of experience living and working in remote habitats. He has collected thousands of museum specimens and has discovered and described a dozen new mammals.

A prolific writer, Darrin is the author of an award-winning biography of Theodore Roosevelt and his life as a museum naturalist (The Naturalist, Crown Publishing, 2016). He is also the author of ten children's books about mammals.

Darrin has always been enamored with the golden era of natural history museums and expeditions (1890-1940), and believes the people working in natural history museums today have much to gain from an understanding of the museums and museum makers of that time.

Medlemmer

Anmeldelser

The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A Lifetime of… af Darrin Lunde

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.… (mere)

Markeret

jj24 | 51 andre anmeldelser | May 27, 2024 |

The naturalist : Theodore Roosevelt and the rise of… af Darrin P. Lunde

This was an interesting but difficult read. Roosevelt was a complex man and certainly a greater blend of contemplative scientist and blood thirsty , macho hunter may never again be found. I felt that the author was highlighting the hunter and downplaying the scientist, animal lover. The many live animals Roosevelt kept and his trip to South America, were not included. At one point, the author says, not quoting Teddy but in his own words, that there is no way someone can know about an animal without having killed it themselves. I'll get the book and copy the quotation in, because I want to be fair, but I wonder what a poacher knows about chimpanzees that Jane Goodall doesn't know. Anyway, a must read for all Teddy fans, and for those with an interest in natural history, with the caveat that those collections have to come from somewhere and this book pulls no punches… (mere)

Markeret

cspiwak | 51 andre anmeldelser | Mar 6, 2024 |

Monkey Colors af Darrin Lunde

This is a simple, straightforward book with but one message: Monkeys come in lots of colors! I think this will be great for story time with my one- and two-year-olds.

Markeret

LibrarianDest | 5 andre anmeldelser | Jan 3, 2024 |