author
F. J. (Francis Jeffrey) Bell
1855–1924
Best known as a British zoologist, he wrote clear, practical natural history books that opened museum collections and comparative anatomy to general readers. His work joined careful science with an eye for making the animal world understandable.
1 Audiobook
A guide to the shell and starfish galleries : (Mollusca, Polyzoa, Brachiopoda, Tunicata, Echinoderma, and Worms)
by British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology, F. J. (Francis Jeffrey) Bell, R. (Randolph) Kirkpatrick, E. A. (Edgar Albert) Smith
About the author
Born in Calcutta on January 26, 1855, and later active in London, Francis Jeffrey Bell was an English zoologist who specialized in echinoderms such as starfish and sea urchins. He spent most of his career at the British Museum (Natural History) and also served as a professor of comparative anatomy at King's College.
Bell wrote both specialist scientific works and more accessible books for wider readers. Titles associated with him include Comparative Anatomy and Physiology and guides to the shell and starfish galleries, showing how closely his writing was tied to museum education and the public presentation of natural history.
He died on April 1, 1924. For listeners coming to him through his books today, Bell stands out as a writer from the great museum age of science: careful, observant, and keen to explain how living creatures are built.