“…a vivid portrait of a man who himself is an institution…the book contains many insightful comments and quotations…” (Nature, 23 January 2003)
“…packed with factual information, anecdotes and gossip about those involved…this book will be a riveting read…” (New Scientist, 15 March 2003)
“…to molecular biologists and history of science aficionados, this biography will be both a great pleasure and a great resource…” (Spectator, 8 March 2003)
“… McElheny presents the science in this amazing story with effortless lucidity…McElheny has done a good job, producing a warts–and–all portrait…” (The Guardian, 15 March 2003)
“…McElheny has researched the story of Watson′s extraordinary life diligently…and recounted it fairly and with occasional panache…” (The Sunday Telegraph23 March 2003
“…an excellent third–person account in Victor McElenhy’s Watson and DNA for its invaluable array of objective character perspectives…” (The Sunday Times, 23 March 2003)
′… brings a clear eye to the hard–to–explain combination of Watson′s abrasive personality and unremitting achievement.′ (Manchester Guardian Weekly, 2 April 2003)
′… challenges the simplicity of both the science and the person in ways that make both more real.′ (Focus, May 2003)
“…a marvellous insight…a fine biography, many years in the making and containing plenty of new material…” (Chemistry in Britain, April 2003)
“…McElhwny provides a very full account of Watson’s life and scientific contributions…” (Times Higher Educational Supplement, 25 April 2003)
“… for those with a predilection for the minutiae of this historical event, McElheny is your only man…” (Irish Times (Dublin), 19 April 2003)
“Watson has told his own story, piecemeal, in several books: this one by a veteran newspaperman does it well, and warmly, in one narrative…” (Lancet, 19 April 2003)
No 6 in Bestsellers Cambridge list (New Scientist, 26 April 2003)
“…there is plenty more in this book to keep you turning the pages…” (British Society for Cell Biology Newsletter, Summer 2003)
“…This book puts the discovery of the double helix into context and explains how the effects of the discovery will resonate for many years…” (www.relaxwithabook.com 13June 2003)
“…there is plenty more in this book to keep you turning the pages…” (British Society for Developmental Biology Newsletter, Summer 2003)
‘…informative, entertaining, and well–written.’ (The Biochemist, 10 July 2003)
“…The story is the most fascinating in the history of science…” (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, September 2003)
“This is a life well worth chronicling, and McElheny has made a good job of it …” (Cambridge – The Magazine of the Cambridge Society, February 2004)
The most influential scientist of the last half–century, James Watson has been at dead center in the creation of modern molecular biology. Since the very morning after his Nobel Prize–winning discovery, Watson has continued to ride the scientific supernova that he and his collaborator, Francis Crick, detonated in 1953. Targeting the big questions, mobilizing the best talent, writing the textbook that defined molecular biology, and starting the human genome project, he has served as a prime mover of the DNA era.
In this masterful and fascinating biography, distinguished science reporter Victor McElheny, who has known Watson for decades, takes us inside the post double helix revolution in biology. With unique access to the scientists involved and who know Watson best, he offers an intimate view of science in the making, from the discovery of the double helix in 1953 to the launching of the genome project in 1988 and beyond. In the process, he brings to life the remarkable achievements of not only Watson but also of others working on this cutting edge of scientific discovery, such as the Nobel Prize winners François Jacob, Walter Gilbert, Richard Roberts, Phillip Sharp, Sydney Brenner, and Robert Horvitz.
This frank and sweeping saga shows, for the first time, every side of this extraordinary man whose brutal frankness is as legendary as his brilliance. From the ruthless competition in the race to identify the structure of DNA to a near mutiny in the Harvard Biology department, to clashes with ethicists over issues in genetics, Watson has left a wake of detractors as well as fans. Victor McElheny probes brilliantly behind the veil of Watson′s own invented persona, bringing us close to the relentless genius and scientific impresario who triggered and sustained a revolution in science that affects us all.
From the Back Cover
Praise for Watson and DNA:
“Jim Watson made the most important biological discovery of the 20th century. Then, with a quirky but unexpectedly effective leadership style, he overthrew the biology of a previous generation and used his position at Harvard to whip up a revolution in molecular biology. In a superb book, McElheny tells us how he did it, and why for the past 50 years young scientists have just wanted to be near Jim. Who among us wouldn′t have wanted to be at the center of a scientific revolution that is already revealing the deepest secrets of life?”Nancy Haven Hopkins, Amgen Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“James Watson is one of the most quirky and eccentric individuals ever to reach the starry firmament of immortal fame. A straight–ahead biography is much needed, given Watson′s importance. In this perfectly timed account, Victor McElheny makes clear his own admiration for Watson, while giving space to his faults and his detractors at each turn of the spiral staircase.”Jonathan Weiner, author of The Beak of the Finch and Time, Love, Memory
About the Author
Victor McElheny has covered the revolution in molecular biology for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Science for nearly four decades. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he started the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships. The author of Insisting on the Impossible, the biography of Edwin Land that the New Scientist called “insightful, exquisitely written,” and Physics Today deemed “a major contribution,” he lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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