Joel Dorman Steele
Encyclopedia
Joel Dorman Steele was an American educator. He and his wife Esther were important textbook writers of their period, on subjects including American history, chemistry
, human physiology
, physics
, astronomy
, and zoology
. In the preface to his posthumous Popular Physics, the publisher writes that his books "attained an extraordinary degree of popularity, due to the author's attractive style, his great skill in the selection of material suited to the demands of the schools for which the books were intended, his sympathetic spirit toward both teachers and pupils, and his earnest Christian character, which was exhibited in all his writing."
Born May 14, 1836, in Lima, New York
, he became a country schoolteacher at the age of 17, leaving that position after an outbreak of typhoid fever
killed his mother in 1851. He graduated from Genesee College (now part of Syracuse University
) in 1858, and became a school principal in Oswego County in 1859. After being seriously injured in the American civil war
, he returned to a school principalship in 1862, in Newark, New York
, and in 1866 moved to another school in Elmira, New York
. In 1872 he gave up teaching and devoted himself to full-time writing. He died in Elmira, on May 25, 1886.
Steele is the namesake of the Joel Dorman Steele professorship at Syracuse University, currently held by A. P. Balachandran
. The Steele Memorial Library in Elmira is also named after him; Esther Baker Steele Hall at Syracuse University is named after his wife.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, human physiology
Human physiology
Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. Physiology focuses principally at the level of organs and systems...
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, and zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
. In the preface to his posthumous Popular Physics, the publisher writes that his books "attained an extraordinary degree of popularity, due to the author's attractive style, his great skill in the selection of material suited to the demands of the schools for which the books were intended, his sympathetic spirit toward both teachers and pupils, and his earnest Christian character, which was exhibited in all his writing."
Born May 14, 1836, in Lima, New York
Lima, New York
Lima, New York refers to two locations south of the City of Rochester, New York in Livingston County, New York:*Lima , New York*Lima , New YorkNote that the names of both places are pronounced like the bean, not like the capital of Peru....
, he became a country schoolteacher at the age of 17, leaving that position after an outbreak of typhoid fever
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever, also known as Typhoid, is a common worldwide bacterial disease, transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person, which contain the bacterium Salmonella enterica, serovar Typhi...
killed his mother in 1851. He graduated from Genesee College (now part of Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
) in 1858, and became a school principal in Oswego County in 1859. After being seriously injured in the American civil war
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he returned to a school principalship in 1862, in Newark, New York
Newark, New York
Newark is a village in Wayne County, New York, U.S., south east of Rochester. The population was 9,682 at the 2000 census.The Village of Newark is in the south part of the Town of Arcadia and is in the south of Wayne County.- History :...
, and in 1866 moved to another school in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
. In 1872 he gave up teaching and devoted himself to full-time writing. He died in Elmira, on May 25, 1886.
Steele is the namesake of the Joel Dorman Steele professorship at Syracuse University, currently held by A. P. Balachandran
A. P. Balachandran
Aiyalam Parameswaran Balachandran is an Indian theoretical physicist well known for his extensive contributions to the role of classical topology in quantum physics. He has been the Joel Dorman Steele Professor of Physics in Syracuse University since 2000. He has also been a Fellow of the...
. The Steele Memorial Library in Elmira is also named after him; Esther Baker Steele Hall at Syracuse University is named after his wife.
Books
- New Descriptive Astronomy, A.S. Barnes & Company, 1869, 1884.
- Fourteen Weeks in Human Physiology, 1872. Revised as Hygienic Physiology: With Special Reference to the Use of Alcoholic Drinks and Narcotics, 1888.
- Fourteen Weeks in Chemistry, 1873. Revised as Popular Chemistry, 1887.
- Fourteen Weeks in Natural Philosophy, 1873.
- Fourteen Weeks in Descriptive Astronomy, 1874. Revised as Popular Astronomy: Being the New Descriptive Astronomy, 1899.
- Barnes' Centenary History: One Hundred Years of American Independence, 1875.
- The Story of the Rocks: Fourteen Weeks in Popular Geology, 1877.
- Fourteen Weeks in Physics, 1878. Revised as Popular Physics, 1888, and The Chautauqua Course in Physics, 1889.
- A Brief History of the United States, 1880.
- A Brief History of Ancient Peoples, 1881.
- A Brief History of Greece: With Readings from Prominent Greek Historians, 1883.
- A Brief History Of Ancient, Medieval and Modern Peoples, 1883, 1899.
- New Descriptive Astronomy, A.S. Barnes & Company, 1869, 1884.
- A Brief History of Rome, 1885.
- Popular Zoology, 1887.
Additional reading
- Joel Dorman Steele, by Mrs. George Archibald, biography reviewed in New York Times September 8, 1900.