Albert F. (Albert Franklin) Blaisdell

Born in South Hampton, New Hampshire, in 1847, Albert F. Blaisdell studied at Dartmouth, graduating in 1869, and later earned his M.D. from Harvard in 1879. Before and after medical school, he taught in Massachusetts, including work as a high school principal, and he later practiced medicine in Providence, Rhode Island.

Over time, writing became his main life’s work. A Dartmouth alumni notice says he began a long series of textbooks and eventually gave up medical practice to focus on them. His books covered physiology, hygiene, literature, and history, and many were written for students and younger readers in a clear, practical style.

Blaisdell is especially remembered for educational books such as Our Bodies and How We Live and for history titles written with Francis K. Ball, including American history for little folks and Hero Stories from American History. He died in 1927, leaving behind a body of work that helped generations of readers learn through straightforward storytelling.