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Rosenthal's work is heavily based on interviews, correspondence, and quotations of Peterson's
friends, family, and proteges. She interviewed more than 300 people and interleaved their words
into a detailed, emotional, comprehensive biography. Their words explain
and illuminate his life, while showing the effect Peterson had on those who looked up to him.
FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Roger Tory Peterson - the Renaissance man who taught Americans the joy of watching birds - also
invented the modern field guide. His 1934 landmark Field Guide to the Birds was the first bird-
identification guide designed to be used in the field by the average person. Its success led to the
best-selling Peterson Field Guide series, which has since taught millions about virtually all aspects
of nature. Peterson combined fine writing with detailed and beautifully rendered illustrations,
ultimately publishing many other books and winning virtually every award and medal for natural
science, ornithology, and conservation. Before long, he became the birding and natural history guru to
the world and was recognized as the key force in alerting the public to the importance of preserving
nature. There are now an estimated 70 million birdwatchers in the United States.
For this meticulously detailed biography, author Elizabeth J. Rosenthal has created a fully rounded
portrait of this hero of the conservation movement. Never-before-seen photographs enhance this
intimate portrayal, which will be welcomed by Peterson’s enormous following.
"A wonderful biography, bold and surprising and lively, crackling with the adventures of the man who did more than anyone else to create the modern popularity of birdwatching."
-Kenn Kaufman, author of The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
"Birdwatcher is biographical alchemy, blending well researched detail, rich and varied anecdotes, and Roger in the first person with a writer’s insight into the man who was, and remains, first among ‘students of birds.’"
-Pete Dunne, Vice President, New Jersey Audubon Society
"Birdwatcher brings laughter, tears, profound admiration, and warm memories. To read it was to have Roger once again sitting in our kitchen, telling great tales, and every reader will feel that way too."
-Clay and Pat Sutton, authors of Birds and Birding at Cape May
"A brilliant, definitive biography of the man who made birdwatching the leading outdoor recreation in America."
-George H. Harrison, Nature journalist, author, PBS producer
"Birdwatcher is more than a window into the life and creative process of one of the world’s great ornithologists and artists-it’s an exploration, through the words and memories of dozens of people who knew Roger Tory Peterson best, of how this remarkable man changed the conservation landscape for the better, and for good."
-Scott Weidensaul, author of Return to Wild America
"Through interviews with more than a hundred of Peterson’s colleagues and protégés, Rosenthal weaves an entertaining biography that helps us understand why Peterson ranks among the world’s mostcelebrated naturalists."
-Stephen W. Kress, Director Audubon Seabird Restoration Program
"With verve and elegance Elizabeth Rosenthal paints the life of our most important naturalist with all the field marks filled in and life ways fleshed out."
-Robert Michael Pyle, author of Sky Time in Gray’s River
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