author

Walter Porter Manton

1857–1925

Best known today for a practical late-19th-century guide to taxidermy, this American writer also had a substantial career in medicine. His surviving books range from hands-on natural history instruction to textbooks on obstetrics and embryology, giving his work an unusual breadth.

1 Audiobook

Taxidermy without a Teacher Comprising a Complete Manual of Instruction for Preparing and Preserving Birds, Animals and Fishes

Taxidermy without a Teacher Comprising a Complete Manual of Instruction for Preparing and Preserving Birds, Animals and Fishes

by Walter Porter Manton

About the author

Walter Porter Manton was an American author and physician whose published work moved between two very different worlds: natural history and medical education. Library and public-domain records connect him with Taxidermy without a Teacher, a how-to manual on preparing and preserving birds, animals, and fishes, as well as medical works including Syllabus of Lectures on Human Embryology and Obstetrics: A Manual for Students and Practitioners.

The medical books identify him as an M.D. and describe him as a professor of clinical gynaecology and lecturer on obstetrics at the Detroit College of Medicine. Those records suggest he wrote for students and practitioners, aiming to make technical subjects clear and usable in everyday study.

Some catalog records list his life dates as 1857–1925, while others give 1858–1925, so even the exact birth year appears to be reported inconsistently. What is clear is that his work has endured through library archives and reprints, especially for readers interested in early taxidermy methods and turn-of-the-century medical teaching.