| Roger Tory Peterson
1908-1996
Roger Tory Peterson Illustrating his
fifth edition of "A Field Guide to the Birds" - The New York
Times, 8-26-93
|
Roger
Tory Peterson is the author of "A Field Guide to the Birds".
First published in 1934.
"Among
bird-watchers, Mr. Peterson is the high priest of birding. His guide is,
simply, 'the bible."
"When he was 11, his path in life was set when he came upon a
flicker, a sizable bird that was asleep on a tree trunk. Thinking it dead,
he poked the bird, which suddenly burst to life and flew off. The
encounter was mysteriously powerful, igniting a passion for birds and
nature."
"Trained as a fine artist and self-taught as a ornithologist, Mr.
Peterson was dazzling elder naturalists with his knowledge of birds while
still a teen-ager. Later, he put together a bird guide while teaching in a
private boys' school outside Boston. Four publishers rejected the
manuscript, but Houghton Mifflin took a chance with a conservative first
printing of 2,000 copies. Within a week they sold out, and at the age of
25, Mr. Peterson had become the boy wonder of birds."
The New York Times, 8-26-93 |
