James Taft Stever is a great-great grandson of Harry Fowler Woods and a relative of both William Howard Taft and Nicholas Longworth. He holds degrees from Hampshire College and Brown University. Stever first recognized the historical significance of the Woods photographs and co-authored the museum catalog that accompanied the initial public presentation of the restored images in addition to contributing to the text of this book. A former member of the Peace Corps, Stever worked in Kyrgyzstan and currently lives in Concord, New Hampshire, where he owns and operates Generation Farm, an organic vegetable, herb and fruit farm.