Cyril Bibby


Cyril Bibby was a biologist and educator. He was also one of the first sexologists.

Early life, family, etc.

Bibby was the third of eight children and lived in Aigburth, Liverpool. He was educated at Sudley Road School, Liverpool, Liverpool Collegiate School and Queens' College, Cambridge. He was active in the CU Socialist Society and the Union Society.
In 1936 he married Frances Hirst ; they had two sons and two daughters.

Career

He was
an early member of the Council of Christians and Jews: he prided himself on being the only such member who was "neither a Christian nor a Jew".
In 1958-59 he was the prospective Labour Party candidate in Barnet opposing Reginald Maudling.
He is known for his work on education, T.H. Huxley, and limericks.
Indeed, David Rubinstein has said "If Huxley was Darwin's bulldog, then Cyril Bibby was Huxley's bulldog".
Bibby gained an MSc at the University of Liverpool in 1940 for research on Europe in Quaternary times, and a PhD at the University of London in 1955 for a thesis on T.H. Huxley. He wrote books and articles on Huxley, and on human biology, especially in the fields of health and sex education, and later on limericks.
The Bibby papers are housed at Cambridge University Library.

Publications by Bibby

;Books
;Articles