The Cover Artist

Tom Killion grew up in Marin County, California, where the rugged landscape inspired him to create Japanese-style woodblock prints. Tom studied history at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and holds a doctorate in African history from Stanford University. He has taught at Bowdoin College, San Francisco State University, and as a Fulbright Professor at Asmara University in Eritrea. In 1975, he produced his first book of woodcut prints, 28 Views of Mount Tamalpais. In 1977, he founded Quail Press, where he has printed five handmade art books and over 400 relief prints. In 2000, he published The High Sierra of California in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Gary Snyder. Tom is currently working on his third collaboration with Snyder, California’s Wild Edge, and lives with his family in Point Reyes, California.

The Illustrators

Precision Graphics

Rachel Rogge studied art history, biology, and science illustration at Humboldt State University in Northern California. In 2003, she completed the science communication graduate program in science illustration at the University of California, Santa Cruz, followed by internships at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Rachel has illustrated two children’s books, and her illustrations have appeared in science and natural history periodicals. She currently resides in Illinois, and has been creating art for science textbooks for over 8 years at Precision Graphics/Lachina.

Mapping Specialists

Beth Robertson is a Senior Cartographer at Mapping Specialists, Ltd., a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that since 1984 has been leading the way in providing custom cartography for educational, trade, and travel publishers, as well as many other types of cartography and graphics for both print products and Web resources. Beth studied environmental geography at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee where her love of maps drew her toward a career in cartography. She has produced thousands of maps for clients such as the National Geographic Society, Bedford/Freeman/Worth, National Park Service, and dozens of other companies. In recent years, Beth has been continually expanding her knowledge of html (and previously Flash) to produce animated and interactive graphics. She is currently enrolled in the Penn State World Campus post-baccalaureate certificate in geographic information systems. When she is not making maps, Beth enjoys bicycling and spending time with her husband and young son.

The Designer

Tom Carling is the principal of Carling Design, a New York-based editorial design firm specializing in magazines, books, and custom-content publications. In recent years, Tom has designed numerous college-level titles for Macmillan Education in both the sciences and humanities. His approach to college textbook design is informed by his roots in trade magazines for clients such as Sports Illustrated and Lucasfilm as well as extensive experience in children’s/young adult, non-fiction book design for DK Books, Scholastic, and many others. Several of his children’s books have been recommended by the American Library Association for reluctant readers. Tom holds a BFA in art history from Syracuse University.