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The
Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of
DNA by James D. Watson Hardcover - 256 pages This book has 30 sample pages available for viewing at Amazon.com |
Amazon.com review:
"'Science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by
outsiders,' writes James Watson in The Double Helix, his account of his
codiscovery (along with Francis Crick) of the structure of DNA. Watson and Crick
won Nobel Prizes for their work, and their names are memorized by biology
students around the world. But as in all of history, the real story behind the
deceptively simple outcome was messy, intense, and sometimes truly hilarious. To
preserve the 'real' story for the world, James Watson attempted to record his
first impressions as soon after the events of 1951-1953 as possible, with all
their unpleasant realities and 'spirit of adventure' intact.
"Watson holds nothing back when revealing the petty sniping and backbiting among his colleagues, while acknowledging that he himself was a willing participant in the melodrama. In particular, Watson reveals his mixed feelings about his famous colleague in discovery, Francis Crick, who many thought of as an arrogant man who talked too much, and whose brilliance was appreciated by few. This is the joy of The Double Helix—instead of a chronicle of stainless-steel heroes toiling away in their sparkling labs, Watson's chronicle gives readers an idea of what living science is like, warts and all. The Double Helix is a startling window into the scientific method, full of insight and wit, and packed with the kind of science anecdotes that are told and retold in the halls of universities and laboratories everywhere. It's the stuff of legends." —Therese Littleton
Philologos comment:
Very interesting. B+