Originally raised in Seattle, he went to college in Colorado where he initially studied physics but switched to geology.

[3] Williams returned to Seattle to be a writer of natural history books and occasional urban geology tour guide.

[5] He writes a biweekly newsletter, Street Smart Naturalist: Notes on People, Place, and the PNW.

[6] 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.

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