Catherine Herbert Howell

A former National Geographic staff member, Catherine Herbert Howell has written more than a dozen books and contributed to dozens of others. She covers topics as diverse as the archaeological treasures of the ancient world; North American birds, wildflowers, mammals, and reptiles and amphibians; the engineering marvels of the twentieth century; the influence of birds in culture and art; and world ethnic groups. She also served as editor of Drawn & Quartered: The History of American Political Cartoons and Out of Ireland, a companion volume to the PBS documentary of the same name.

She holds a master's degree in anthropology from the University of Virginia and has conducted field research among urban women in India as a Fulbright grantee and among Indian immigrants in New York City.

Howell lives in Arlington, Virginia, where she tends the native plants of her certified wildlife habitat and volunteers with the Arlington Regional Master Naturalists.