N. J. Berrill

Norman John"Jack"BerrillFRSFRSC(28 April 1903 – 16 October 1996)was an Englishmarine biologist.He was born inBristoland received his BSc degree from theUniversity of Bristolin 1924 and his PhD (1929) and DSc (1931) fromUniversity College London.In 1928, he joined the faculty ofMcGill Universityin Montreal, where, from 1946 to 1965, he wasStrathconaProfessor of Zoology.On 20 March 1952, he was named aFellow of the Royal Society.He was also a member of theRoyal Society of Canada(1936) and theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science(1978).

Berrill wrote numerous books, including both works of popular science which were compared by some reviewers to books byRachel CarsonandLoren Eiseley,as well as textbooks and scientific monographs. Two of his titles,Man's Emerging MindandSex and the Nature of Things,won the CanadianGovernor General's Award for English-language non-fiction.His 1950 monograph ontunicatais the definitive work on the subject.

Berrill received honorary doctorates from the universities ofWindsor(1968),British Columbia(1972) and McGill (1973).

Berrill was married twice and had three children, raising his first child as a single parent after his first wife died. He co-wrote two books with his son and his second wife.

Selected works

• The Tunicata, with an account of the British species(Ray Society,1950)
• The Living Tide(Dodd, Mead, 1951)
• Journey into Wonder(Dodd, Mead, 1952)
• Sex and the Nature of Things(Dodd, Mead, 1953), winner of theGovernor General's Award for English-language non-fiction
• The Origin of Vertebrates(Clarendon Press, 1955)
• Man's Emerging Mind(Dodd, Mead, 1955; reprinted by Oxford University Press, 2010), winner of theGovernor General's Award for English-language non-fiction
• 1001 Questions Answered about the Seashore(with Jacquelyn Berrill) (Dodd, Mead, 1957; reprinted by Dover Books, 1976)
• You and the Universe(Dodd, Mead, 1958)
• Growth, Development and Pattern(W.H. Freeman, 1961)
• Worlds Without End(Macmillan, 1964)
• Inherit the Earth(Dodd, Mead, 1966)
• Biology In Action: A Beginning College Textbook(Dodd, Mead, 1966)
• The Life of the Ocean(McGraw-Hill, 1966)
• The Person in the Womb(McGraw-Hill, 1968)
• The Life of Sea Islands(with Michael Berrill) (McGraw-Hill, 1969)
• Developmental Biology(McGraw-Hill, 1971)