Samuel R. (Samuel Roberts) Wells

Born in 1820, he was known in print as Samuel R. Wells, short for Samuel Roberts Wells. Library of Congress records identify him as an author connected with works on phrenology, including descriptive charts and manuals that circulated widely in the 1800s.

He was also associated with the Fowler & Wells publishing world in New York, a major center for phrenology, reform writing, and popular health literature. That background helps explain the practical, public-facing tone of his books: they were written to reach ordinary readers, not just specialists.

Today, his work is mostly of historical interest, offering a window into the self-help, health, and character-reading movements that attracted many readers in the mid-19th century. He died in 1875.