Verrill, Alpheus Hyatt

1871-1954

A. Hyatt Verrill was born in 1838 in the United States. An archaeologist, explorer, inventor, illustrator, Verrill was also a prolific author, writing on extremely diverse subjects such as whaling, travel, natural history and the radio. This writing resulted in the publication of more than 100 books, including several science fiction novels written under the pseudonym Ray Ainsbury. Verrill served as the natural history editor of Websters International Dictionary in 1896, and invented the autochrome process of natural colour photography in 1902. According to the synopsis for his book Never a Dull Moment, Verrill discovered and described many new species of insects, reptiles, birds and shells, discovered and excavated countless prehistoric ruins and tombs, and devoted almost forty years of his life to exploring the deserts and jungles of Central and South America. He was a boat builder, a member of Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, a member of several aboriginal tribes, and has lived through such disasters as shipwrecks, hurricanes and earthquakes. A. Hyatt Verrill died after a series of strokes in November of 1954, at the age of 83.