- Paperback: 112 pages
- Publisher: Longman; 1 edition (11 July 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0582451817
- ISBN-13: 978-0582451810
- Product Dimensions: 19 x 12.8 x 1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 791,610 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
From Amazon.co.uk
"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 memorised 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
Product Description
The discovery of the structure of DNA, the unique code that shapes human genes was made by Francis Crick and James Watson. The Double Helix reveals the excitement of the Nobel Prizewinning Crick and Watson as they beat Linus Pauling to the solution of one of the enigmas of science.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is an abridged edition!,
By Jean Tisserand (The Netherlands) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Double Helix: Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Penguin Readers Simplified Text) (Paperback)
FYI: This is an abridged, simplified version of Watson's book, edited for people learning to read English. I made the mistake of ordering it (from another source) without realizing this and had to send it back. The full version is ISBN 0140268774. Penguin should make it clearer on the front cover that this is not the full original text!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There is no substitute,
This review is from: The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Paperback)
The Double Helix may be full of Watson's biased opinions, but how can there be any substitute for a first- hand account of one the most biggest discoveries ever made? But this is no science textbook- it reads more like a novel, about the race to find the strcuture of DNA first.Classic.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended,
By
This review is from: The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA (Paperback)
The story from one of the main protagonists lips of how DNA structure was really discovered. If you imagine scientific discovery to be a tale of egghead boffins selflessly labouring away in pristine lab coats in Ivory Towers, then you will be disappointed. Watson shows the cutthroat world of backbiting, one- upmanship, and over- inflated egos, standing on each other's faces to get to the research & development cash. Watson was 24 at the time, and more interested in girls or spending long afternoons chatting with fellow tennis toff Crick. Although Crick and Watson are credited with the discovery itself, we are led to conclude it was actually only a matter of time before others could piece together the jigsaw, and so the race was decidedly on. As the story reaches its climax, the pace quickens sufficiently to make you run to your molymodel for comfort. The account has been criticised as being overly sexist towards Rosalind Franklin, and dismissive of other researchers in the field such as Linus Pauling and Maurice Wilkins. This led to some later editions of the book which contain additional emollient sounding notes from co- workers and commentators in the appendices. If you ask me, the original, slightly unbalanced view only adds to the appeal of the book, as it shows the real and gritty side of science as opposed to fairytails of philanthropic devotion.
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