The greatest achievement of science in the twentieth century ... It will be an enormous success, and deserves to be so - a classic in the sense it will go on being read' - Sir Peter Medawar Francis Crick and James Watson revolutionized biochemistry by elucidating the structure of DNA - and won themselves a Nobel Prize. At the time Watson was only 24, with more interest in girls than in chemistry. His uncompromisingly honest account of those heady days lifts the lid on the real world of greatscientists and the extraordinary excitement of their desperate attempts to beat Linus Pauling to the solution to one of the great enigmas of the life sciences.
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"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
About the Author
James Watson was born in Chicago in 1928. He studied zoology at the University of Chicago, and was awarded his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1950. Between 1950 and 1953 he worked at Copenhagen and Cambridge, where together with Francis Crick he solved the structure of DNA, for which they received a share of the Nobel Prize in 1962. His other publications include THE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE GENE and THE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL. He lives in the USA.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format: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!
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format: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
By A. Patterson
Format: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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james watson book
my wife was meeting Mr James Watson and wanted to have at least one of his books. This book came on time and was exactly as described. thank-you very much.
Published 6 months ago by mal
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Worth every penny
This book is a classic. Most nicely written, it is even funny. For PhD students it is a boost in confidence, too many patterns in personal interactions are just timeless. Read more
Published on 20 May 2001
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