William Maxwell Reed

William Maxwell Reed (January 12, 1871 in Bath, Maine – September 1962) was a pioneering U.S. author of illustrated science books for children.

After schooling at Harvard, he taught astronomy at Harvard and Princeton University.

Reed later went into the steel industry.

Beginning as a series of letters to his nephew, his first book, The Earth for Sam, was published in 1929. The book remains popular and was republished in 2005.

Earth was followed by a series of popular children's information books, many published by Harcourt, Brace.

Books The Earth for Sam; the story of mountains, rivers, dinosaurs and men (1929). Illustrated by biologist/artist James Howard McGregor. The Stars for Sam (1931). Illustrated by Karl Moseley. And that's why (1932) The Sea for Sam (w/ Wilfred S. Bronson) (1935) Animals on the March (w/ Jannette May Lucas) (1937) America's Treasure (1939) The Sky is Blue (illustrated by James MacDonald) (1940) Patterns In The Sky: The Story Of The Constellations (1951)