A. G. Stromberg – First Class Scientist, Second Class Citizen: Letters from the Gulag and a History of Electroanalysis in the USSR
Author(s): Richard G. Compton (Author), Gregory G. Wildgoose (Author), Elza G. Zakharova (Author), Michael T. Stawpert (Author), Alexander S Kabakaev (Author)
Publisher: Imperial College Press
Publication Date: 29 May 2011
Edition: Illustrated
Language: English
Print length: 376 pages
ISBN-10: 1848166753
ISBN-13: 9788173350221
Book Description
Armin G. Stromberg was arguably one of the founding fathers of the technique of stripping voltammetry frequently used in chemical analysis, yet he is virtually unheard of in Western Scientific circles. He was a brilliant scientist, but due to his German ancestry, he was interred in one of the NKVD GULAG camps at the outbreak of the second world war. This semi-biographical history presents the complete set of 74 surviving letters written by Stromberg to his wife during this period. The letters provide both historians and the interested public with a rare and unique glimpse into the every-day living conditions of inmates in one of the GULAG labour camps. The book also traces Stromberg’s life following his release. More importantly, it relates how he founded the thriving Tomsk school to the wider historical context of electroanalysis in the USSR, drawing conclusions about the rate of scientific development as compared to the West and showing how ‘wet analysis’ remained of vital importance to industry long after equivalent measurements were made instrumentally elsewhere. Readers will also appreciate how Stromberg’s invaluable contributions in the ‘Tomsk school of electroanalysis’ laid the foundations for the extensive metallurgical extraction and nuclear industries that dominated the entire Siberian region for many years. This book is must-read for anyone interested in the life and times of an important, yet often overlooked scientist of the second world war.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Compton’s book exactly paints that picture of a great scientist and humanist. It can be read by anybody interested in getting a picture of USSR science, and the hard struggle of its people to reach world significance. It does not need special background knowledge in science, and it will be valuable for historians as well as for the science community.” —Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry
From the Back Cover
Armin G Stromberg was arguably one of the founding fathers of the technique of stripping voltammetry frequently used in chemical analysis, yet he is virtually unheard of in Western scientific circles. He was a brilliant scientist, but due to his German ancestry he was interred in one of the NKVD GULAG camps at the outbreak of the Second World War.
This semi-biographical history presents the complete set of 74 surviving letters written by Stromberg to his wife during this period. The letters provide both historians and the interested public with a rare and unique glimpse into the everyday living conditions of inmates in one of the GULAG labour camps. The book also traces Stromberg’s life following his release. More importantly, it relates how he founded the thriving Tomsk school to the wider historical context of electroanalysis in the USSR, drawing conclusions about the rate of scientific development as compared to the West and showing how ‘wet analysis’ remained of vital importance to industry long after equivalent measurements were made elsewhere.
Readers will also appreciate how Stromberg’s invaluable contributions in the Tomsk School of Electroanalysis laid the foundations for the extensive metallurgical extraction and nuclear industries that dominated the entire Siberian region for many years. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the life and times of an important, yet often overlooked scientist of the Second World War.
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