We lost a towering figure in North American ornithology with the passing of Ned K. Johnson in 2003. It is thus only fitting that a festschrift should appear in his honor. With any such publication, the reviewer must be careful to review the publication and not the person. Anyone interested in thoughtful reviews of Johnson’s life and work is referred to Barrowclough and Zink’s obituary in the Ibis (2004, vol. 146, pp. 567–568) and the editors’ introductory chapter to this monograph.