Natural history literature

Caspar Whitney informs President Roosevelt that he had received four letters where people had made fun of him for taking up “cudgels for Roosevelt” although Whitney was not included in the roll of honor in the September issue of Everybody’s magazine. Whitney tells Roosevelt that his “interest in life is not to be reckoned on rolls of honor,” but the letters have made him wonder if the absence of his name from the rolls meant more than he originally thought. Whitney would like to know where he stands with the president.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-09-07

Creator(s)

Whitney, Caspar, 1862-1929

John Burroughs responds to President Roosevelt’s letter regarding Burroughs’s Atlantic Monthly article. He admits to “hasty streaks” and comments on specific issues involving the tameness of birds and animals on uninhabited islands and the instinctive and learned fears among animals. He hopes to accompany Roosevelt to Yellowstone in the spring.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-03-10

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

Theodore Roosevelt says that Edmund Heller has his blessing to go to Africa. He tells Charles D. Wolcott that he would prefer for Heller’s pamphlet on the giant eland to be published before he leaves.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-02-10

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Theodore Roosevelt thanks C. Hart Merriam for the pamphlets on Mendel’s Law. Roosevelt encourages Merriam to write a great natural history of the mammals of North America.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-05-06

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Theodore Roosevelt thanks William L. Swan for the gift of Alexander Wilson’s book on ornithology. Roosevelt has an incomplete copy and is excited to complete it with this replacement.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1904-07-14

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt has seen two more articles from William Long and an advertisement for his new book. Long’s writing should not be called natural history and is full of “outrageous falsehoods.” John Burroughs performed a public service by attacking Long.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-11-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

President Roosevelt discusses the fallacies found in animal literature and his belief in “some means of communication among animals.”

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-03-07

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Ernest Thompson Seton was glad to receive the latest news from Theodore Roosevelt’s hunt in Africa. Seton’s book on North American mammals came out earlier in November and has received good reviews. A copy is waiting for Roosevelt in New York. He offers a discussion about the relationship between monogamy and sanitation practices among mammals. He believes that monogamy is more beneficial and asks if Roosevelt can pay attention to any evidence of polygamous ruminants with sanitary practices. He also points out that lions are believed to be monogamous and asks Roosevelt to keep signs of monogamy in mind while collecting information about them.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1909-11-29

Creator(s)

Seton, Ernest Thompson, 1860-1946

John Burroughs has finished an article about President Roosevelt as a “nature lover and Observer.” He will send the article for Roosevelt’s suggestions or omissions. Burroughs appreciates the invitation to visit Pine Knot next spring.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-25

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

John Burroughs is glad that President Roosevelt has decided that his sighting of a passenger pigeon was correct. Burroughs recently investigated another sighting and concluded that a large flock of passenger pigeons had been seen. He has written to The Outlook regarding the legitimate use of imagination in nature writing. Burroughs directs Roosevelt to several periodicals where he comments on William J. Long and the nature fakers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-06-13

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

John Burroughs believes President Roosevelt’s account of seeing passenger pigeons in Virginia. He suggests that a trustworthy local attempt to obtain a specimen or having Dr. Merriam send someone to investigate. Burroughs continues to fight William J. Long and the nature fakers. Several pretend interviews with Burroughs have appeared in the newspapers.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-30

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

Editor John O’Hara Cosgrave surrenders the rights from Everybody’s Magazine in order to see its contents published in a book on the Nature Fakers controversy. He looks forward to the book. He would like President Roosevelt to know that the writer Owen Wister will be covering the overspending scandal in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Cosgrave hopes Wister can adequately cover the topic.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-05-28

Creator(s)

Cosgrave, John O'Hara, 1866-1947

Duane G. Jundt praises Michael R. Canfield for providing context for the development of Theodore Roosevelt as a naturalist and for a nuanced discussion of his hunting in Theodore Roosevelt in the Field. Jundt also praises Canfield for his exhaustive research and for his frequent use of examples from Roosevelt’s journals and notebooks to illustrate his work. Jundt indicates that the book plows familiar ground, and he faults Canfield for not providing maps to Roosevelt’s many outdoor adventures and for not discussing the importance of eyeglasses to Roosevelt’s development as a naturalist.

Five excerpts from Roosevelt’s natural history notebooks and journals, a photograph of Roosevelt, a letter, and the front cover of Canfield’s book populate the review. A text box with the mission statement of the Theodore Roosevelt Association appears at the end of the essay.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

2018

Four books are scrutinized in this edition of the “Book Reviews” section. A catalog to the Theodore Roosevelt film collection at the Library of Congress is discussed, and the review notes how the collection was assembled, how the catalog is organized, and it highlights other Roosevelt collections and their printed guides. Kenneth D. Crews reviews two historical novels about Roosevelt, Bully! by Mark Schorr and The Big Stick by Lawrence Alexander. Crews finds more entertainment value in Schorr’s book, and he asserts that both titles cater to simplistic and stereotyped views of Roosevelt at the expense of a carefully crafted character. John A. Gable examines Theodore Roosevelt: Wilderness Writings edited by Paul Schullery, and most of the review focuses on, and quotes extensively from, Schullery’s introduction. Gable notes that Schullery tackles the thorny issue of Roosevelt’s hunting, and he describes how the book is organized.  

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1986

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.; Crews, Kenneth D.

Theodore Roosevelt argues that young men are best suited for dangerous adventures in the wilderness, but he believes that older men can also find suitable encounters with nature “close beside the beaten roads of present travel.” He describes the many ways and places in which one can encounter the wilderness, and many of the examples are taken from his own experiences.

A drawing of Roosevelt talking to children around a campfire accompanies the piece.

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is found on page two of the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Commissioner Roosevelt was pleased to receive Frances Theodora Dana’s new book, According to Season, and congratulates her on performing a “service to our literature” and adding “zest to many peoples’ lives.”

Collection

Harvard College Library

Creation Date

1894-03-28

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919

Caspar Whitney has several matters regarding the upcoming book, The Deer Family, that he would like to discuss with President Roosevelt. He compliments Roosevelt’s writing but is concerned about A. J. Stone’s contribution.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1902-01-29

Creator(s)

Whitney, Caspar, 1862-1929

John Burroughs writes to President Roosevelt complaining about William Long and others who, Burrough’s claims, write fake natural history. He also asks Roosevelt a number of questions about the hunting behavior of members of the cat family.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-12-31

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

John Burroughs has been enjoying The Wilderness Hunter and American Big-Game Hunting with a new interest and appreciation after visiting the country and seeing the animals featured in the books. He forgot how much good natural history is in President Roosevelt’s works. Burroughs is having an article published by The Century in February and recently had his portrait painted. Item contains original handwritten copy and typed transcript.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-12-03

Creator(s)

Burroughs, John, 1837-1921

Charles Fletcher Lummis encloses documents for President Roosevelt and provides some examples of “marvelous” nature writing regarding snakes.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1903-09-26

Creator(s)

Lummis, Charles Fletcher, 1859-1928