Maria Mudd Ruth

Author, Naturalist, science-fueled curiosity about the natural world.

 

Welcome! I'm the author of more than a dozen books on natural history topics for the young readers, general audiences, and accidental naturalists like myself. 

Now arriving for Spring 2026 ! My latest book on the Pigeon Guillemot, a wildly charismatic Pacific Coast seabird, from Mountaineers Books/Skipstone Press.

The Bird with Flaming Red Feet is arriving in bookstores now!

Here are some of my favorite places to buy books:

Mountaineers Books (my wonderful, non-profit publisher based in Seattle)

Browsers Bookshop (my wonderful brick-and-mortar indie bookstore in Olympia, WA) Copies are in the store now (March 12)

Bookshop.org (support your local indie bookstore)

Barnes & Noble (in the book biz since 1971)

Amazon

Let’s Chat. (Pen-and-ink sketch of two Pigeon Guillemots by Susan Morgan).

A merry band of Guillemoteers. The author (far left, in flaming red hat and socks) with the 2025 team of Pigeon Guillemot surveyors on Puget Sound.

I’d be delighted to visit your bookstore, library, organization, book club, nature walk, or other event to talk about clouds. My talks range from five to fifty minutes and can include any or all of these options: book reading, slide presentation, discussion, Q&A, book sales and signing. I tailor my presentations to the age and interests of your organization or group. Please contact me to discuss the possibilities. 

My other books, published long ago, include titles for young adults and children including The Ultimate Ocean Book, The Butterfly, The Beetle (3-D portfolios); Hawks and Owls, Snakes, The Pacific Coast, The Tundra, The Southwest Deserts, The Mississippi River. Alas, these books are out of print, but you can find second-hand copies here.