author
Francis Hobart Herrick
1858–1940
A zoologist, bird writer, and natural history illustrator, this author helped bring the lives of animals within reach of general readers. He is especially remembered for his detailed work on the American lobster and for a major two-volume biography of John James Audubon.
2 Audiobooks
Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time. Vol. 1 (of 2)
by Francis Hobart Herrick
Audubon the Naturalist: A History of His Life and Time. Vol. 2 (of 2)
by Francis Hobart Herrick
About the author
Born in Woodstock, Vermont, on November 19, 1858, Francis Hobart Herrick studied at St. Paul's School and Dartmouth College, then earned a Ph.D. in biology from Johns Hopkins University. He went on to teach at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where he became a professor of biology and built a reputation as both a scientist and a gifted popular writer.
Herrick worked across zoology and ornithology, but some of his best-known research focused on the American lobster. Alongside his scientific studies, he wrote books that opened up bird life and animal behavior for everyday readers, often combining careful observation with his own illustrations.
He also wrote a notable two-volume life of John James Audubon, reflecting his deep interest in both natural history and the people who shaped it. Herrick died in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 11, 1940, leaving behind a body of work that linked serious science with lively, accessible storytelling.