William T. Innes
Encyclopedia
William Thornton Innes III, L.H.D.
(February 2, 1874 — February 27, 1969) was an American
aquarist, author, photographer, printer and publisher. Innes was the author of numerous influential books and hundreds of articles about aquarium
fish
, aquatic plants and aquarium maintenance during the formative years of the aquarium hobby in America. Born in Philadelphia, he was the founder, publisher and editor of The Aquarium, the first successful national magazine on the subject of keeping freshwater tropical fish
es. The magazine ran monthly for thirty-five years from May 1932 through January 1967.
Graduating from Friends' Central School, Philadelphia, he entered the printing concern of his father, in 1895. In 1899 he married Mary Weber Weaver. From the 1920s he organized aquarium shows in Philadelphia's Horticultural Hall. Innes is best remembered as author and publisher of the book, Exotic Aquarium Fishes, which was printed by his family's printing firm in Philadelphia in 1935 and went through nineteen editions. It quickly became the seminal work on the subject and has often been called 'the aquarium bible.' Beautifully produced with many lavish elements by his own printing firm, and written in a simple but elegant and compelling style by Innes alone, the book also included photographs taken by Innes for each of the fish species. He had decided that the Kodachrome film of the day required too much light and did not accurately show the true colors of various fishes. Instead, he shot black-and-white photographs that were hand-painted, test-printed, and then repainted to fine-tune the color for publication.
These color plates, considered works of art by many, became the object of an infamous law suit some years later. Dr Innes was shocked to learn that Dr Herbert Axelrod had used these now-famous plates from Exotic Aquarium Fishes in a book produced by his publishing company, TFH Publications
. Innes sued. He won the case in 1955, but was awarded only $1, plus court costs, since the court could not determine that any monetary damage had been done.
Innes held the desire that the book would be updated on a regular basis, even after his death, and collaborated with younger friend and colleague, Dr. George S. Myers
, to that end. After Innes Publishing ended its production of the book, other entities published more economical editions identified as the '19th edition, revised.' When Innes failed to renew the copyright of the first edition, Axelrod quickly took advantage of the situation and published a new version of the classic. All of these editions lack the production quality of the original nineteen editions published by Innes, which remain to this day highly collectable and widely used by aquarists. They can be identified by their dark green, 'leatherette' covers and binding, featuring an image of a trio of harlequin rasbora
s stamped in 14k gold.
Dr. Myers, who first described the neon tetra
, had named that fish Hyphessobrycon innesi in honor of Innes. This popular aquarium species was later moved to the genus Paracheirodon and is now known as Paracheirodon innesi. The neon tetra is perhaps the best-known of several fish species that have been named in honor of this pioneer in the aquarium hobby. A water lily cultivar of the genus
Nymphaea
has also been named in his honor.
Other books for which he served as author, publisher, principal photographer and printer include Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes (1917) which ran through fifteen editions by 1935; The Modern Aquarium (1929); Your Aquarium (1945); Goldfish Varieties and Water Gardens (1947); and Aquarium Highlights (1951).
Temple University
conferred upon him the Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1951.
On the occasion of Dr. Innes's 80th birthday in 1954, Dr. Myers wrote a tribute to him, in the February issue of The Aquarium, referring to William T. Innes as "the best known and most respected aquarist and authority on aquariums in the world. His books, his photographs and his influence on this field have educated millions."
An extensive collection of his writings, sketches, photographs and correspondence is housed at the American Philosophical Society
in Philadelphia.
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
(February 2, 1874 — February 27, 1969) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aquarist, author, photographer, printer and publisher. Innes was the author of numerous influential books and hundreds of articles about aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, aquatic plants and aquarium maintenance during the formative years of the aquarium hobby in America. Born in Philadelphia, he was the founder, publisher and editor of The Aquarium, the first successful national magazine on the subject of keeping freshwater tropical fish
Tropical fish
Tropical fish include fish found in tropical environments around the world, including both freshwater and salt water species.Tropical fish are popular as aquarium fish, due to their often bright coloration...
es. The magazine ran monthly for thirty-five years from May 1932 through January 1967.
Graduating from Friends' Central School, Philadelphia, he entered the printing concern of his father, in 1895. In 1899 he married Mary Weber Weaver. From the 1920s he organized aquarium shows in Philadelphia's Horticultural Hall. Innes is best remembered as author and publisher of the book, Exotic Aquarium Fishes, which was printed by his family's printing firm in Philadelphia in 1935 and went through nineteen editions. It quickly became the seminal work on the subject and has often been called 'the aquarium bible.' Beautifully produced with many lavish elements by his own printing firm, and written in a simple but elegant and compelling style by Innes alone, the book also included photographs taken by Innes for each of the fish species. He had decided that the Kodachrome film of the day required too much light and did not accurately show the true colors of various fishes. Instead, he shot black-and-white photographs that were hand-painted, test-printed, and then repainted to fine-tune the color for publication.
These color plates, considered works of art by many, became the object of an infamous law suit some years later. Dr Innes was shocked to learn that Dr Herbert Axelrod had used these now-famous plates from Exotic Aquarium Fishes in a book produced by his publishing company, TFH Publications
TFH Publications
TFH Publications is an American book publisher based in New Jersey, USA. It specialises in books about pets. In 1997 the owner, Herbert R. Axelrod sold the company to Central Garden & Pet Company of California for $70 million....
. Innes sued. He won the case in 1955, but was awarded only $1, plus court costs, since the court could not determine that any monetary damage had been done.
Innes held the desire that the book would be updated on a regular basis, even after his death, and collaborated with younger friend and colleague, Dr. George S. Myers
George S. Myers
Dr. George Sprague Myers spent most of his career at Stanford University, where he was one of the leading American ichthyologists of the twentieth century. He served as the editor of Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin as well as president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists...
, to that end. After Innes Publishing ended its production of the book, other entities published more economical editions identified as the '19th edition, revised.' When Innes failed to renew the copyright of the first edition, Axelrod quickly took advantage of the situation and published a new version of the classic. All of these editions lack the production quality of the original nineteen editions published by Innes, which remain to this day highly collectable and widely used by aquarists. They can be identified by their dark green, 'leatherette' covers and binding, featuring an image of a trio of harlequin rasbora
Harlequin rasbora
The Harlequin Rasbora a small fish belonging to the Family Cyprinidae, subfamily Rasborinae, which was originally given the scientific name of Rasbora heteromorpha...
s stamped in 14k gold.
Dr. Myers, who first described the neon tetra
Neon tetra
The neon tetra is a freshwater fish of the characin family of order Characiformes. The type species of its genus, it is native to blackwater or clearwater streams in southeastern Colombia, eastern Peru, and western Brazil, including the tributaries of the Solimões where the water is between...
, had named that fish Hyphessobrycon innesi in honor of Innes. This popular aquarium species was later moved to the genus Paracheirodon and is now known as Paracheirodon innesi. The neon tetra is perhaps the best-known of several fish species that have been named in honor of this pioneer in the aquarium hobby. A water lily cultivar of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Nymphaea
Nymphaea
Nymphaea is a genus of aquatic plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. There are about 50 species in the genus, which has a cosmopolitan distribution.-Name:The common name, shared with some other genera in the same family, is Water Lily....
has also been named in his honor.
Other books for which he served as author, publisher, principal photographer and printer include Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes (1917) which ran through fifteen editions by 1935; The Modern Aquarium (1929); Your Aquarium (1945); Goldfish Varieties and Water Gardens (1947); and Aquarium Highlights (1951).
Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
conferred upon him the Doctorate of Humane Letters in 1951.
On the occasion of Dr. Innes's 80th birthday in 1954, Dr. Myers wrote a tribute to him, in the February issue of The Aquarium, referring to William T. Innes as "the best known and most respected aquarist and authority on aquariums in the world. His books, his photographs and his influence on this field have educated millions."
An extensive collection of his writings, sketches, photographs and correspondence is housed at the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
in Philadelphia.