James West Davidson is a graduate of Yale University, where he received his PhD in American history. A full-time writer and wilderness paddler, he is also the coeditor of Oxford University Press' New Narratives in American History series with Michael Stoff. He has written several American history textbooks, including
After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection, coauthored with Mark Lytle.
John Rugge is the author of
The Complete Wilderness Paddler and
Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure, both with James West Davidson, as well as
All in a Day's Work: Scenes and Stories from an Adirondack Medical Practice with Daniel Way.