David Williams (natural history writer)

David B. Williams
Williams in 2015
Education	B.A. geology
Alma mater	Colorado College
Occupation	Freelance writer
Writing career
Language	English
Genre	Natural history
Notable work	Stories in Stone
Notable awards	Washington State Book Award finalist (2010) Northwest Writers Fund grant (2014)

David B. Williams is an American freelance writer in Seattle.

Biography

Originally raised in Seattle, David B. Williams attended college in Colorado, where he initially studied physics but switched to geology. He received a Bachelor of Arts in geology from Colorado College and worked as a park ranger at Arches National Park in Utah.

Williams returned to Seattle to be a writer of natural history books and occasional urban geology tour guide. He was employed at Seattle's Burke Museum as of 2014. He writes a biweekly newsletter, Street Smart Naturalist: Notes on People, Place, and the PNW. One local bookseller wrote, "When it comes to books about Seattle and its surroundings, there's one must-read writer as far as I'm concerned, and that's David B. Williams."

Williams' interest in urban geology was sparked by the use of stone in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.

Bibliography

• David B. Williams; Stanley L. Welsh (1990). Grand Views of Canyon Country: A Driving Guide (third ed.). Canyonlands Natural History Association. ISBN 9780937407004.
• David B. Williams; Damian Fagan (1994). A Naturalist's Guide to the White Rim Trail. Wingate Ink. ISBN 9780964417304.
• David B. Williams (2000). A Naturalist's Guide to Canyon Country. Globe Pequot. ISBN 9781560447832.
• David B. Williams (2000). The Seattle Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from the City. Westwinds Press. ISBN 9781558688599. alternate title The Street-Smart Naturalist: Field Notes from Seattle
• David B. Williams (2009). Stories in Stone. Walker Books. ISBN 9780802716224. (Washington State Book Award finalist)
• David B. Williams (2012). Cairns: Messengers in Stone. The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-1-59485-681-5.
• David B. Williams (2015). Too High and Too Steep: Reshaping Seattle's Topography. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0295995045. (funded by University of Washington Press Northwest Writers Fund grant)
• Williams, David B. (2017). Seattle Walks: Discovering History and Nature in the City. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0295741284. OCLC 963736198.
• Williams, David B. (2021). Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound. University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295748603.
• Williams, David B. (2025). Wild in Seattle: Stories at the Crossroads of People and Nature. Illustrated by Elizabeth Person. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 9781680517651.
• Williams, David B.; Ott, Jennifer (2026). Seattle's Locks and Ship Canal: A History and Guide. University of Washington Press copublished with HistoryLink. ISBN 9780295754949. (March 2026)

References

Sources

• McMichael, Barbara Lloyd (June 10, 2005), ""Street-Smart Naturalist": Taking in Seattle with new eyes", The Seattle Times
• Switek, Brian (August 24, 2009), "STORIES IN STONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH DAVID WILLIAMS", Wired
• Meyer, Kathie (September 15, 2010), "Washington State Book Awards announced", Port Townsend Leader
• Scigliano, Eric (November 24, 2014), "Seattle rock hound offers tours of our billion-year-old past", Crosscut.com

Further reading

• Perkins, Sid (September 11, 2009). "Book Review: Stories in Stone: Travels Through Urban Geology by David B. Williams". Science News. Retrieved September 26, 2009.

External links

• GeologyWriter.com. Writing by David B. Williams