New Englander Diana Kappel-Smith explored the great deserts of the American West over an 18-month period. Traveling largely alone through the Southwest and parts of Idaho and Oregon, she logged 25,000 miles and discovered facets of the desert and its human inhabitants that may surprise even long-time residents.
"You come to trust her company and to savor her observations: she is the sort of guide who gestures at what you would otherwise step across or on without noticing. She calls her collection 'an introduction to particulars.' These she infuses with radiance." Los Angeles Times...

Journey with Diana Kappel-Smith into the nocturnal world of wild North America. Night Life combines scientific descriptions and personal reflections on creatures ranging from spiders and snakes to large predators of the northern Plains.