The indefatigable Charles C. Miller (1831-1920) was among the first Americans to make a successful living off of bees alone, and he repeatedly told his audience so. Beginning as an amateur beekeeper in 1861, Miller expanded his business steadily, becoming for many years a popular advice columnist for the American Bee Journal.

Writing part memoir, part bee culture, Miller began his personal account of the honey business in 1886 with A Year Among the Bees, in which he announced he had "made the production of honey his exclusive business" for eight years. This was expanded into Forty years among the bees (1903, 2nd ed. 1906), then into Fifty years among the bees (1911), culminating in his A thousand answers to beekeeping questions (1917).

Miller never made it to sixty years among the bees, but what he lacked in originality with his titles, he more than made up for in descriptive quality. Miller included detailed measurements of his hives for others to use, and his later books include photos of beekeeping activities. The succession of bee books issued by Miller over the course of three decades highlights not only his industry, but the importance of frequent publication to the success of his business. The famed apicultural library at the University of Wisconsin is named after Miller.

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