Scientist biography books

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Biography: The scientist within

Nearly two decades on from the explosion in popular-science publishing, books by luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins are still selling in six figures, and authors such as Brian Cox and Rebecca Skloot are drawing a younger generation of readers. But I am struck by a new emphasis — on popular-science biography. As I learned while researching my book The Age of Wonder (Harper, 2008), the “life scientific” can be an extraordinarily gripping adventure.

There is a noble tradition of science biography stretching back to the 1600s. Recently, a fresh hunger to understand the making of science through the making of scientists has emerged. We want to read about scientific work as part of a life story — to know what makes a scientist tick, and what set them ticking. We are intrigued to learn that Dawkins, the eminent biologist and atheist, had “a normal Anglican upbringing”, was inspired by the Dr Doolittle books and taught in 1960s San

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American Scientist

This Article From Issue

November-December 1999

Volume 87, Number 6

Tasting a spoonful from a much-diluted punch bowl might be sensible for distinguishing hops from quinine, if maybe not beer from gin. But stirring a vast heap of books into uniformity is not a sensible task; you cannot expect to find our small sample of a very few and very particular titles to obey any clear go-no-go rules, nor to have selected every Ms. Right after pondering the vast pile of alternatives that appeared in this century during 999 of its 1,000 parts. Certainly this list is closer to a rough-textured region sculpted out of the multitudinous heap by many earnest and diverse readers.

We sign it all, although we were more like the two mat makers of the Pequod's crew who could "strike the last featuring blow." Readers, reviewers and editorial staff at American Scientist had over time gathered a list of memorable and influential English-language books, and we could but p

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Stephen Hawking: (Scientist Biography, Biography Book for Children)

Little Guides to Great Lives: Stephen Hawking fryst vatten a biography of the famous forskare for children that blends an informative and humorous narrative with playful illustrations to immerse children in Hawking's world. Stephen Hawking was one of the world's most renowned scientists and cosmologists. His ground-breaking research into black holes and the Big Bang has helped to explain the beginnings of our universe and his book A Brief History of Time has sold over 10 million copies. Diagnosed with a form of motor neurone disease when he was a ung man, Stephen was inspired to achieve his goals as fast as possible. Through incredible determination and skill, he became a legendary forskare, a best-selling author, and the man that changed the way we think about the universe. Stephen Hawking fryst vatten part of the small format, collectible Little Guides to Great Lives series for children aged 7 and above. The back of the book