James Garfield Riley

author

James Garfield Riley

b. 1881

A government chemist and early 20th-century writer on food science, he is best known for co-authoring a detailed study of American beers and ales. His surviving work offers a small but vivid glimpse into the scientific world behind everyday products in his era.

1 Audiobook

A Study of American Beers and Ales

A Study of American Beers and Ales

by James Garfield Riley, L. M. Tolman

About the author

James Garfield Riley was born in 1881. The clearest published record found for his writing credits is Project Gutenberg's author listing, which names him as the author of A Study of American Beers and Ales.

That work was written with L. M. Tolman and identifies Riley as an assistant chemist in the Food and Drug Inspection Laboratory in New York. The book reflects the practical, investigative side of early food and beverage science, focusing on how American beers and ales were examined and understood at the time.

Few easily available biographical details about his wider life were confirmed in the sources reviewed, so his published scientific work remains the best window into his career.