Teddy Roosevelt's Great Outdoors

Who can write about vast catalogues of bird species with “fervent enthusiasm” Douglas Brinkley can, The New York Times’ Janet Maslin writes in a review of his new book, Wilderness Warrior. The book chronicles Theodore Roosevelt’s life as a conservationist—which has been largely overshadowed by his political career. Brinkley, who will reportedly publish a biography of Walter Cronkite in May, describes Roosevelt as a hands-on president who created enough federal reservations, game preserves, national forests and monuments to save 234 million acres of American land from ruin.