Charles M. (Charles Mark) Turton

Charles Mark Turton (1861–1937) was an American educator and coauthor of several physics textbooks used in schools and colleges in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Surviving catalog and library records connect his name most strongly with Manual of Experimental Physics for Secondary Schools, Principles of Physics, and Physics.

His work was collaborative and classroom-focused. Rather than writing for specialists, he helped produce books that introduced physics through demonstrations, experiments, and familiar examples, reflecting a teaching style meant to make the subject approachable for students.

Detailed biographical information about his life and career is not easy to confirm from widely available sources, so the clearest picture comes from the books themselves and the records attached to them: Turton was part of a generation of educators who turned physics into a more organized, teachable subject for everyday learners.