A. Hyatt Verrill

Alpheus Hyatt Verrill, known as Hyatt Verrill, (1871–1954) was an American archaeologist, explorer, inventor, illustrator and author. He was the son of Addison Emery Verrill (1839–1926), the first professor of zoology at Yale University.

Hyatt Verrill wrote on a wide variety of topics, including natural history, travel, radio and whaling. He participated in a number of archaeological expeditions to the West Indies, South, and Central America. He travelled extensively throughout the West Indies, and all of the Americas, North, Central and South. Theodore Roosevelt stated: "It was my friend Verrill here, who really put the West Indies on the map."

During 1896 he served as natural history editor of Webster's International Dictionary, and he illustrated many of his own writings as well. During 1902 Verrill invented the autochrome process of natural-color photography.

Among his writings are many science fiction works including twenty six published in Amazing Stories pulp magazines. When the Moon Ran Wild (1962) was published posthumously using the name Ray Ainsbury.