Robert Manning is professor emeritus at the University of Vermont, where he taught the history, philosophy, and management of national parks and conducted a long-term program of research for the US National Park Service. He has written a dozen books on managing of national parks and related issues and three guidebooks (with his wife, Martha Manning) on walking and hiking, including the award-winning Walks of a Lifetime in America's National Parks: Extraordinary Hikes in Exceptional Places (Falcon Guides), which offers descriptions of the natural and cultural history of all the national parks and firsthand descriptions of the very best hikes in each park.