William Keith Emerson (May 1, 1925 – October 19, 2016), usually known as Bill Emerson, was an American
malacologist
Malacology is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. Mollusks include snails and slugs, clams, ...
, a
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
who studied
mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
s. He was a Curator Emeritus at the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
where he had been a curator since 1955. He was also Chairman of the Department of Living Invertebrates and head of the Malacology section for several decades.
Books
Emerson has written numerous scientific publications and several popular shell books including:
*''The American Museum of Natural History Guide to Shells: Land, Freshwater, and Marine from Nova Scotia to Florida'' by William K. Emerson and Morris K. Jacobson, 1976, Alfred A. Knopf
*''Shells'' by William K. Emerson, Andreas Feininger, Hardcover, Thames and Hudson, (0-500-54008-X)
*''Shells from Cape Cod to Cape May: With Special Reference to the New York City Area'' by Morris K. Jacobson, William K. Emerson, Softcover, Dover Pubns, (0-486-25419-4)
*''Wonders of Barnacles'' by William K. Emerson, Arnold Ross, Hardcover, Dodd, Mead, (0-396-06971-1)
*''Wonders of the World of Shells: Sea, Land, and Fresh-Water by Morris K. Jacobson, William K. Emerson, Hardcover, Dodd, Mead, (0-396-06326-8)
References
External links
2,400 years of Malacology info here (search for Emerson in the appropriate section)
Further reading
* H. S. Gordon, 1960. ''Conchological Interviews – Part I. William K. Emerson at the American Museum of Natural History''. New York Shell Club Notes 64: 4-6
* W. K. Emerson, 1975. ''The malacological collection of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York''. New York Shell Club Notes 208: 2
* Anonymous, 1988. ''Honors to Dr. William K. Emerson''. New York Shell Club Notes 306: 2
* Anonymous, 2001. ''Retirement, Emerson style''. New York Shell Club Notes 360: 4
* Paula M. Mikkelsen1 & Neil H. Landman, In Memoriam: William K. Emerson (1925–2016); The Festivus, vol 49 (1), 2017
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emerson, William Keith
1925 births
American malacologists
People associated with the American Museum of Natural History
2016 deaths