Theodore Roosevelt is remembered as the founder of the National Park system. He was a hunter aware (as many of his contemporaries were not) that preserving parcels of the natural environment was essential to the lives of the animals he stalked. Naturalist in the Arena goes deeper than those popular conceptions and reveals Roosevelt as a scientist as well as a hunter. “Natural history was not a hobby for Roosevelt—it was absolutely central to the meaning of his life and activity.” The essays explore Roosevelt’s friendship with Sierra Club founder John Muir, his role in putting breaks on the uncontrolled exploitation of America’s natural resources and his curiosity about the world.
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