author
Geoffrey Smith
1881–1916
A gifted English zoologist who wrote vividly for general readers as well as specialists, he packed an extraordinary amount into a short life. His books blend sharp scientific curiosity with the excitement of discovery, from marine invertebrates to the wildlife of Tasmania.
1 Audiobook
The Cambridge natural history, Vol. 04 (of 10)
by Geoffrey Smith, D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson, Cecil Warburton, Walter Frank Raphael Weldon, Henry Woods
About the author
Born in Beckenham, Kent, on December 9, 1881, Geoffrey Watkins Smith was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford. He took a first in natural science, later became a Fellow and Tutor of New College, and also lectured in zoology and comparative anatomy at Oxford.
Smith built a strong reputation in zoology while still young. Sources describe him as an important specialist in marine biology and parasitology, and his published work ranged from technical research to books for wider audiences, including A Naturalist in Tasmania and Primitive Animals. His writing is remembered for making natural history feel lively and immediate rather than dry or distant.
During the First World War he served with the Rifle Brigade. He was killed in France on July 10, 1916, at the age of 34. Because his career ended so early, his books offer a glimpse of a scientist whose work was already admired and might have grown even more influential with time.