Author Sites
David R. Montgomery
David R. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington. He studies the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He received a BS from Stanford University (1984, geology) and a PhD from UC Berkeley (1991, geomorphology). His field studies have included projects in the Philippines, eastern Tibet, South America, California, and the Pacific Northwest of North America. He is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and has received many awards throughout his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Vega Medal. His books Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon, and The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood have all won the Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. Montgomery’s Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. He also coauthored with Anne Biklé The Hidden Half of Nature and, most recently, What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health. His books have been translated into ten languages. He is also a coauthor of the new textbook Essentials of Physical Geography with W. W. Norton.
David R. Montgomery
David R. Montgomery is a professor of Earth and space sciences at the University of Washington. He studies the evolution of topography and the influence of geomorphological processes on ecological systems and human societies. He received a BS from Stanford University (1984, geology) and a PhD from UC Berkeley (1991, geomorphology). His field studies have included projects in the Philippines, eastern Tibet, South America, California, and the Pacific Northwest of North America. He is an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and has received many awards throughout his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship and the Vega Medal. His books Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon, and The Rocks Don’t Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah’s Flood have all won the Washington State Book Award in General Nonfiction. Montgomery’s Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life was a finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Award for Literary Science Writing. He also coauthored with Anne Biklé The Hidden Half of Nature and, most recently, What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health. His books have been translated into ten languages. He is also a coauthor of the new textbook Essentials of Physical Geography with W. W. Norton.
Awards
Shortlisted — Stubbendieck Great Plains Distinguished Book Prize, 2018
Shortlisted — International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award, 2023
Books by David R. Montgomery

The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood
David R. Montgomery
Paperback, 2013
How the mystery of the Bible's greatest story shaped geology: a MacArthur Fellow presents a surprising perspective on Noah's Flood.
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
Paperback, 2016
A riveting account of how emerging science about microbes, plants and our own bodies can revolutionise agriculture and medicine.
Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life
David R. Montgomery
Paperback, 2018
An inspiring vision for restoring the soil that feeds us all and turns agriculture into a solution for environmental crises.
The Rocks Don't Lie: A Geologist Investigates Noah's Flood
David R. Montgomery
E Book, 2012
How the mystery of the Bible's greatest story shaped geology: a MacArthur Fellow presents a surprising perspective on Noah's Flood.
The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health
David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
E Book, 2015
A riveting account of how emerging science about microbes, plants and our own bodies can revolutionise agriculture and medicine.
Growing a Revolution: Bringing Our Soil Back to Life
David R. Montgomery
E Book, 2017
An inspiring vision for restoring the soil that feeds us all and turns agriculture into a solution for environmental crises.
What Your Food Ate: How to Heal Our Land and Reclaim Our Health
David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
Hardback, 2022
A call to action that underscores why the roots of good health start with how we farm
What Your Food Ate: How to Restore Our Land and Reclaim Our Health
David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
E Book, 2022
A call to action that underscores why the roots of good health start with how we farm
What Your Food Ate: How to Restore Our Land and Reclaim Our Health
David R. Montgomery, Anne Biklé
Paperback, 2023
A call to action that underscores why the roots of good health start with how we farm
ReGen: A New Future for Farming, Food, and Health
David R. Montgomery
Hardback, 2026
An acclaimed geologists’ powerful argument to recognise soil health as the key to global food security



