Darrin Lunde – författare

From 1908 to 1933, the American Museum of Natural History launched more scientific field expeditions than at any other time in its existence. Sponsoring trips to Africa and Central Asia, the museum filled its halls with artifacts and an aura of adventure, underwritten by some of New York City’s most prominent men. In Palace of Deception, Darrin Lunde uncovers the complicated legacy of three iconic figures of the American Museum: President Henry Fairfield Osborn, the preeminent explorer Roy Chapman Andrews and Carl Akeley, the pioneering taxidermist who created so many of the museum’s most memorable exhibits. Palace of Deception traces the racially infused milieu which sought to enshrine the prevailing social hierarchy and examines the simmering anxieties about human origins that were the backdrop to a golden age of exploration.

A captivating new 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.

From the Hardcover edition.

China''s stunning diversity of natural habitats--from parched deserts to lush tropical forests--is home to more than 10 percent of the world''s mammal species. A Guide to the Mammals of China is the most comprehensive guide to all 556 species of mammals found in China. It is the only single-volume reference of its kind to fully describe the physical characteristics, geographic distribution, natural history, and conservation status of every species. An up-to-date distribution map accompanies each species account, and color plates illustrate a majority of species. Written by a team of leading specialists, including Professor Wang Sung who provides a history of Chinese mammalogy, A Guide to the Mammals of China is the ideal reference for researchers and a delight for anyone interested in China''s rich mammal fauna.

The definitive, comprehensive, up-to-date guide to all of China''s 556 mammal species High-quality color plates accompany the detailed text Each species account comes with a distribution map Organized taxonomically for easy reference Includes an extensive bibliography