Son of John Howell (qv), one of the Governors of the Adelaide Gaol, Frederick Howell was educated at Winham College. For some years he worked as a clerk at the gaol, then, taking leave of absence for health reasons at the age of nearly twenty-one, travelled to England. From there he went to Europe where he studied Chemistry in Hamburg, Zurich and Geneva, graduating with a PhD from Berne. In the 1890s he was 'obliged to carry his swag in search of employment on the land', but went on to be appointed Chemist for Agriculture, Lands and Water Supply in Victoria. He was later Agricultural Adviser to the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway Company, finally taking up poultry farming at Box Hill, Victoria. After 1922 he retired in Camberwell, Victoria.
The book of his poetry was published posthumously. It appears that most of the writing included in the volume was written after he reached the age of sixty.
