The Species Seekers Heroes, Fools, and the Mad Pursuit of Life on Earth

"A marvelous tribute to the age of wonder."
– Bernd Heinrich, author of The Nesting Season

"[Conniff's] enthusiasm for his subject and admiration of these explorers is infectious [...] an entertaining survey."
– Kirkus Reviews

"[This] history of the 'great age of discovery' is spellbinding."
– Publishers Weekly

"An anecdotal romp through the strange history of naturalism. Absurd characters, exciting discoveries, and fierce rivalries abound."
– Outside Magazine

"An enduring story bursting at the seams with intriguing, fantastical and disturbing anecdotes."
– New Scientist

"[Conniff] chronicles two centuries of adventure, and at the same time illustrates important developments in human thought."
– Christian Science Monitor

"A swashbuckling romp [...] brilliantly evokes that just-before Darwin era."
– BBC Focus

"Modern biology and medicine would not be what they are today if not for the death-defying naturalists who set out to travel the world and find new species. In The Species Seekers, Richard Conniff creates a marvelous rogues' gallery of these brave, sometimes reckless heroes of taxonomy, full of surprising tales of gorillas, platypuses, and disease-laden mosquitoes."
– Carl Zimmer, author of Parasite Rex