# Samuel Record

## Biography

Samuel James Record was an esteemed American botanist and an authority on wood science, born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, on March 10, 1881. After graduating from Wabash College in 1903, he earned a Master of Forestry degree from Yale University in 1905. His distinguished career began with the U.S. Forest Service before he joined the Yale School of Forestry faculty in 1910. He became Professor of Forest Products in 1917 and later served as Dean of the school from 1939 until his passing.

Record played a pivotal role in advancing the study of wood anatomy. He extensively traveled throughout the Americas, amassing an impressive collection of over 41,000 identified wood specimens, which became a foundational resource. He founded the International Society of Wood Anatomists and launched the influential journal *Tropical Woods* in 1925, serving as its editor. Among his significant publications are "The Mechanical Properties of Wood" and "Timbers of Tropical America," a landmark work later expanded as "Timbers of the New World." Record passed away on February 3, 1945, leaving a lasting legacy in the field of forestry and botanical research.

## Books

- [The Mechanical Properties of Wood: Including a Discussion of the Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties, and Methods of Timber Testing](https://samolit.com/books/95977)