K. M. KOSTYAL has written nearly 20 adult and children's titles on human history and natural history, prehistory and geologic history, music, world cultures, and wars. Her most recent works for National Geographic include Founding Fathers: The Fight for Freedom and the Birth of American Liberty ; Benjamin Franklin's Wise Words ; George Washington's Rules to Live By , and Great Migrations , the companion book to the National Geographic Channel's acclaimed series on animal migration. JOHN M. THOMPSON is an award-winning author of The Reservoir and Love and Lament . His articles have appeared in Smithsonian , the Washington Post , and Islands among other publications, and his short stories have been published in Louisiana Literature , South Dakota Review , and other literary journals. He has written or contributed to more than a dozen National Geographic books.

WILLIAM R. GRAY began his 33-year career at the National Geographic Society as a writer in 1968, eventually serving as a vice president and director of the book division for more than ten years. He traveled the globe on assignments ranging from the Alps to Alaska to the natural wonders of Africa, and authored such books as The Pacific Crest Trail and Voyages to Paradise: Exploring in the Wake of Captain Cook . He served as a full-time faculty member of the Writing Department at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico.