Theodore Roosevelt in the Field

Theodore Roosevelt first set foot into the field as a very young man, started a natural history museum at 8 years old, and reveled in expeditions in the field throughout his life. His adventures defined him--his policies and his persona--and are wonderfully chronicled in his journals and notebooks. TR's constant quest and passion for the outdoors influenced his experiences from the Spanish American War, to negotiations with Cuba, to hikes through Yellowstone with John Muir. Michael Canfield uses the notebooks to illuminate the force of nature in TR's life. He isolates the elements that drove Roosevelt-- his love of science and nature, his need to express manliness, his drive for empire--all of which share a common thru line, that of a propelling wish to act these out in the field. The outdoors to Roosevelt was like a perfect field jacket, which had a specific purpose, and yet which he donned for many pursuits--hunting, fishing, hiking, natural history study. This work invites readers to join TR on his adventures, with Canfield as a guide, and in the pages of his writings unearth a better understanding of what drove one of history's most remarkable characters.